


The Phantomhive Diaries

by DCUnitedFanfics



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-01-23 23:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21328522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DCUnitedFanfics/pseuds/DCUnitedFanfics
Summary: During the Great War, Mey-Rin Dai discovers Ciel's unbreakable contract to Sebastian and is now sucked into the world of demons and reapers. While keeping the master's secret, she begins to question reality and the morality of the people around her. But she is not the only one trying to keep it together. Ciel Phantomhive has trouble confronting his past and is slowly descending into madness as he questions his decision and can't decide whether he wants to fulfill the contract or break it. But how can he break a contract that can never be regained? And how will he ever find the man who killed his parents without losing what's left his humanity?
Relationships: Ciel Phantomhive/Undertaker, Claudia Phantomhive/Undertaker, Elizabeth Midford/Ciel Phantomhive, Finnian/Elizabeth Midford, Finnian/Sebastian Michaelis, Mey-Rin/Ciel Phantomhive, Mey-Rin/Grell Sutcliff, Sebastian Michaelis/Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis/Original Female Character(s), Sebastian Michaelis/Undertaker, Undertaker (Kuroshitsuji)/Original Male Character(s), William T. Spears/Grell Sutcliff
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. Announcement

**So, I'm finally getting back on track with my writing. To start off, I'm actually going to do a few rewrites that might take some time but not impossible to do. When doing rewrites, there will be changes to certain scenarios.**

**I'm going to be rewriting my _Black Butler_ retelling yet again but this time with a few twists. The story will take place in the 1940's rather than the 1880's. Again, this means there will be a lot of changes yet will keep some of the same storylines. However, changes include Undertaker driving in a funeral hearse car rather than a wooden cart, the relocation of the Phantomhive Estate, Bard being a decommissioned soldier after an injury left him unfit to fight the war and Finnian being experimented on under different circumstances during the Great War. Some events will be similar to the manga but other events will be quite different. Hopefully it turns out well. **

**There will be some heavy themes and some bloody violence. Even if there is no explicit sex (yet), sexual themes will be discussed. I hope you guys enjoy. **


	2. Ciel Phantomhive

**I do not own Black Butler (neither the manga or the anime) or any of it's characters. Credits to the original story will always belong to Yana Toboso. I hope she and the others in Japan are doing well after this year's typhoon season.**

**For those who haven't read the manga, spoiler alert. **

* * *

** _Ciel Phantomhive_ **

** _Inverness, Scotland_ **

** _April 3, 1940_**

** _Inverness, Scotland_ **

** _April 3, 1940_ **

_ " Mother! Father!" _

_ Twelve-year-old Ciel screamed as he ran through the manor looking for his parents. But they were nowhere to be found. Someone had broken into their home and killed all the servants. Even their dog, Sebastian, was slaughtered and gutted like a pig. Ciel couldn't even see Tanaka. He might be dead as well. Though, Ciel hoped he was still alive.  _

_ The Phantomhives moved here to the countryside a year ago after part of London was bombarded by an air raid which destroyed many homes and killed a lot of people. The Phantomhives were living in one of the greater townhouses. When the sirens bellowed like mad, Ciel's parents woke him and his brother up and they went to the underground bunker in their backyard. They didn't come out until morning. When they did, several houses near them were destroyed. A chunk of their roof was blown off. The Phantomhives no longer felt safe in London. Ciel's father, Vincent, accepted to take ownership of a mansion that belonged to Ciel's grandmother, Claudia Phantomhive. It had been abandoned for years since she died. Francis Midford didn’t want it because it held too many memories and it would be hard for any of them to own a house where a beloved family member died. However, for the well-being of the family, Vincent decided to own the mansion. It was in the countryside a few miles outside Inverness, Scotland. Ciel hated the idea of leaving England, but Vincent thought they would be safe from the war.  _

_ He was right. They were safe from the  _ ** _war_ ** _ . But they weren’t safe from what happened tonight.  _ _ _

_ “Mother! Father!”  _

_ Ciel entered the study where they usually were. However, the moment they opened the door, he was shocked to see a man aiming a gun at his father. He couldn’t see the man’s face because of the shadows obscuring him. The only thing Ciel could see were the brown leather gloves covering his hands. But Ciel could definitely see the fear in his father’s eyes clear as day. Vincent was standing in front of Rachel, shielding her from the intruder. Ciel wanted to enter the study to stop this, but Rachel quickly saw him and shook her head, telling him not to do so. Ciel’s vision became blurry as tears filled his eyes. He watched his father trying to talk reason with the intruder, telling him to put the gun down so they could talk civilly.  _

_ Ciel gasped when the intruder pulled the trigger. Blood and brain matter burst from his father’s head, splattering onto his mother’s face and dress. Rachel let out a blood-curling scream at the sight of Vincent’s body dropping dead on the floor. Ciel was about to call out for her, but she got shot in the head as well, and her body dropped next to Vincent. Ciel stared in complete shock, his heart pounding against his chest and white noise growing louder in his ears. Once Ciel was finally able to process what just happened, he shrieked in terror.  _

_ The man who killed his parents immediately spotted him and aimed his gun. That was when Ciel regained his senses and bolted out of there as the trigger was pulled once more. Ciel ducked as the bullet struck the door, sending splintering wood flying.  _

_ Ciel rushed down the corridors in search of his brother and Tanaka. They needed to get out of the house as soon as possible. _

_ “Tanaka!” Ciel yelled.  _

_ His nostrils quickly caught the smell of smoke. The corridors were filling up with hot black smoke which caused his eyes to water and he coughed profusely.  _

_ When Ciel turned a corner, he stopped to find the rest of the hallway engulfed in roaring flames, covering the walls, eating away the drapes and reaching the ceiling above him.  _

_ He found Tanaka on the floor near the fire, lying face-down like his parents, with a bloody stab wound on his back. He almost went into complete hysteria when he saw Tanaka coughing. He was still alive. Ciel called out for his brother, but it looked like he was nowhere to be found. At that point, Ciel thought he had been killed like his parents.  _

_ Ciel ran to Tanaka’s side and shook him. “Wake up! Tanaka, wake up!” _

_ He looked up as the roaring and cracking continued. The flames were above them, threatening to bring the second floor down to the ground.  _

_ Knowing that there was no time to waste, Ciel grabbed Tanaka under the arms with the very little strength he had and dragged his unconscious body away from the fire. For an old man, Tanaka was heavy.  _

_ He stumbled and fell back with Tanaka’s heavy body on top of him. “Help! Help!” _

_ To his relief, his brother appeared through the smoke, coughing and looking just as horrified as Ciel was. He lifted Tanaka’s upper torso and helped Ciel back on his feet. _

_ “We have to leave! Or the fire will kill us all!”  _

_ “Tanaka is still alive, we can’t just leave him!” Ciel shouted back. _

_ “You grab his legs! I’ll grab his arms!” _

_ Ciel did what his brother said and took Tanaka by the legs while his brother grabbed him under the arms. Together, they lifted Tanaka and carried him away from the fire and out of the manor. Ciel felt sick and selfish for leaving his parents’ bodies to be devoured by the fire that also ate their home. But he didn’t have a choice. It was either live or die.  _

_ Once outside, Ciel watched his home become completely engulfed in flames that burst through the windows.  _

_ “We need to take Tanaka to the hospital," he said while holding the old man's hand in and checking his pulse with the other.  _

_ “Where are Mother and Father!?” his brother said while looking around.  _

_ Ciel’s voice cracked as he tried not to cry. “They're dead.” _

_ Ciel’s brother stared at him in bewilderment. His face turned ghost-white and tears filled his eyes. "We need to go and report to Scotland Yard." _

_ "But Tanaka is hurt. He's going to die –" _

_ His brother was quickly snatched before Ciel could finish his sentence. Ciel screamed as he watched his brother get dragged away by one of the men. "No! No, let him go!" _

_ Ciel then got snatched by another man, one wearing brown gloves. The man who killed my parents. The only thing he could remember were the gloves. He also remembered a sparrow tattoo on one of the men’s wrists. Ciel kicked and screamed as they were taken away from their burning home and left Tanaka there to bleed to death.  _

_ “Tanaka!”  _

_ The boys continued screaming for help as they were taken to a fate worse than death, a fate that led Ciel to make the worst decision of his life.  _

_ Ciel suffered many months of torture and abuse. All of their disgusting hands and bodies touching him. But seeing his brother being stabbed to death at the altar was the final straw. Ciel just wanted them all to die. He wanted them all to suffer a painful death. And he finally got his wish in the form of a hideous creature emerging from his brother's spilled blood. This creature took many forms. A wolf. A large serpent. A goat. And finally, a creature with sharp teeth and curved horns. All of them covered in his brother's red blood. Ciel stared in horror and disbelief. That thing was real. And it looked pissed. It turned into a large snake once more and killed a few of the bastards nearby.  _

_ Ciel curled up in the corner of the cage when it slithered over to him and hissed, bearing it black fangs which dripped ink-coloured liquid.  _

_ “ _ ** _You_ ** _ ,” it hissed in a whisper, “ _ ** _Your anger and hatred…It's delicious. I heard you…calling to me. And I came. Tell me, what is it that you want?_ ** _ ” _

_ “…I…I don't know what I want…”  _

_ “ _ ** _I see. You are still young. You do not understand_ ** _ ." It took the form of the creature with horns and sharp teeth. “ _ ** _But you will soon. I am here because you called to me and I am here to fulfill your wish. Say what you want, and I will grant it to you. All desires come with a price, however. I can never change. And no sacrifice shall ever be regained_ ** _ .” The creature reached out its sharp bloodied hand towards Ciel. He simply stared at the hand, frozen in fear. “ _ ** _Choose wisely_ ** _ .” _

_ Ciel looked at his brother lying dead on the altar and then at the rest of the murderous bastards surrounding them. His fear was soon replaced with boiling rage and hatred. He gritted his teeth in anger before firmly grabbing the demon’s hand.  _

_ “Kill them!” _

* * *

**4 years later…**

**August 12, 1944**

Ciel sleeps in his chamber, curled up in a fetal position and wrapped in heavy blankets. His eyepatch rests on the nightstand next to his bed. He’s exhausted from all the work today and needs rest for tomorrow. They have a guest in the afternoon.

“ _ Wake up _ ,” a voice whispers to him.

It’s foreign to his ears but at the same time, it sounds familiar. A whispering echo. Ciel moans tiredly but ignores the voice calling him, trying to get some sleep. Why must Sebastian wake me at such early hours?

“Wake up…You need to wake up. Or do you want to die again?” 

Ciel’s eyes open. He gasps when seeing his brother standing next to his bed with blood staining his nightshirt and trickling down his mouth. Eyes glassy and lifeless. Ciel tries sitting up, but finds his own body frozen on the bed. He can’t move. He’s trapped. Ciel’s breath shifts heavily as he panics and struggles to move, his chest heaving and letting out muffled screams between his lips. Ciel’s fingers twitch slightly. He wants to call out for Sebastian or anyone else that can hear him, but he can’t even open his mouth. All he can do is lie there frozen and stare at his dead brother. 

His brother leans over Ciel until their faces are basically touching. The brother gives him a bloody grim. Ciel can smell the sickening scent of rot. 

“It’s time for you to wake up.” 

Ciel curls his toes. This seems to work as he finally regains his movement and sits up from his bed gasping. The moment he does so, his brother disappears from sight. Ciel pants heavily and looks around, his own nightshirt drenched in perspiration. But this doesn’t stop him from letting out a raspy scream. 

He continues screaming until the door bursts open. Sebastian quickly enters the bedroom. “Master!” He quickly grabs hold of Ciel’s wrists to keep him from hurting himself and shakes him. Not that he was hurting himself. He was simply screaming. “Master, snap out of it. It was just a dream.” 

Ciel stops screaming and struggling. He simply sits here shaking from the shock and terror. “It’s not a dream… It was a nightmare…He was there.”

“Master, there is nothing here.”

Ciel looks around, still shaking. Sebastian is right. There’s no one here. And probably never was.

“Did you have another paralysis, my lord?” he asks, “Moments like that tend to make you hallucinate, remember?”

Ciel nods his head.  _ Yes, it must be that. Nothing more _ .

He takes deep breaths and manages to calm his heart and breathing.  _ It's just my imagination _ .

“Do you wish for me to call your aunt and tell her to come see you tomorrow?” Sebastian asks.

Ciel immediately shakes his head. “No, I would rather not bother her tonight. I won’t have her take a five-hour train ride for nothing. Besides, we have a busy schedule tomorrow."

“Very well, sir. Would you like for me to make some warm milk and honey, to help you go back to sleep?” Sebastian asks.

Ciel is tempted to say yes. Milk and honey always make him feel better, despite Tanaka always telling him too much sweets are bad for his teeth. 

“No, not tonight.”

Sebastian gives Ciel a strange look. He seems surprised that Ciel rejected sweets tonight. “Are you sure you're all right, young master?”

Ciel doesn’t answer his question. Instead, he instructs Sebastian to make sure tomorrow's evening dinner is done perfectly. No screw ups.

“I’m going back to sleep,” Ciel says as he turns away and wraps his body and head around with the duvet.

“Very well, my young lord,” Sebastian says.

Ciel doesn't come out from under the duvet until he hears the door close shut and the footsteps die out.

He sits up from the bed again and looks around his chambers once more, making sure no one is watching him, before reaching for the nightstand next to his bed and opening the drawer. Ciel takes out a golden framed photograph that has burnt edges. A picture of him, his father Vincent, his mother Rachel, his brother Astre and their dog Sebastian.

Ciel holds the picture to his chest in a tight embrace as he sobs quietly. 


	3. Mey-Rin

**I do not own the manga or its characters. **

**Warning: There will be a few OCs in the fanfic but many of them are simply minor characters to move the plot along so they're not exactly major in the story. If you notice that Finny is absent in this chapter, you will see why. I have different plans for him. **

* * *

It’s nine o’ clock in the morning. Breakfast time. Mey-Rin’s daily routine has begun. But today is a difficult task. Today, she must take breakfast to the master’s chambers, clean the dishes, scrub the floors and polish the stairwell. Taking breakfast to the master is going to be a challenge, since he only welcomes Sebastian into his room. That’s his job, not hers. Not that she minds. She’s just scared of messing up. Sebastian and the master get displeased very easily. 

Unfortunately, she has to do this without question.

Mey slips on the round-framed glasses over her eyes, ties her dark red hair in a chignon bun and gets dressed in a plain blush pink dress. She has never taken her glasses off, even if they crack. She remembers Lady Elizabeth trying to force the glasses off her face. Something Mey didn’t appreciate. Luckily, the master stopped Lady Elizabeth before she could do any serious damage to them. Or worse, Mey could have done some serious damage to her. 

Looking out the window, Mey sees a grey-and-orange robin chirping on one of the tree branches next to her window. She blinks upon seeing it.  _ Will you fall and break your little neck if you try flying? _ It stares back at her before flying away. 

As she walks down the hall, she finds Sebastian already has the master’s breakfast made. The only thing she needs to do is take the tray upstairs, without tripping over her own two feet, and set it on the nightstand, then leave and continue with her duties. 

Mey takes note of the contents on the silver tray. Kedgeree with cheese seftons, a bowl of apples and grapes as well as cambric tea on the side. The master needs a big breakfast to grow big and strong. His fragile health and his constant request for sweets worries her sometimes. It’s not good for him. Not at all. However, this is the young lord’s house so it’s his rules. 

She must confess, Mey once expected the master to eat a Scottish meal since they’re living in Scotland. As a matter of fact, she thought the master himself was Scottish. But no. Apparently, he’s an English boy of French heritage which she finds quite fascinating. 

She uses the dumbwaiter to bring breakfast up to the second floor since she can’t carry such a heavy thing up the stairs by herself. She’ll trip, fall and ruin the master’s breakfast. She then goes upstairs to collect the tray. Once she loads them onto the cart, Mey makes her way to the master’s chambers. 

Mey is about to enter his chambers when the doors open. She nearly crashes into Sebastian. She gasps as the tray slips from her hands but Sebastian quickly catches it in time, placing it back on the cart. Mey sighs in relief.  _ Oh, thank goodness _ . 

“If you can’t carry the tray on your own, leave it on the cart,” he says. 

Mey bows her head while nervously fixing her glasses. “Forgive me, sir. I didn’t see you. I really need to have these glasses fixed.” 

“Are you sure you don’t need a new pair -?” 

Mey shakes her head. “Oh no, I’m all right. I can fix them.” 

He sighs. “Very well. Listen, Mey-Rin, I’ll be heading out for a few hours to purchase some ingredients for tonight’s dinner with Lord Ilario Del Falco and I’m afraid I cannot attend the young master today. Would you be so kind to look after him while I’m gone?” 

Her heart stops for a moment. “Wait, you’re leaving me with him? I…I thought taking care of him was your job.” 

“I won’t be long. Besides, I’m sure you can handle him just fine while I’m gone.”

A lot of things can happen while he’s gone. Ciel Phantomhive is unpredictable. He even threw a dart at Baldroy. There’s no telling what will happen to her if she enters the room.

Mey sighs and bows her head in defeat. “Yes, Sebastian.”

He gives her his usual charming smile. “I shall return before lunch.” 

“Oh, um, Sebastian, one more thing,” Mey tells him before he’s able to walk away. She almost forgot to tell him something important. 

He turns to look at her with a frown. “What is it?”

“There’s a protest going on at the town square. Servants are claiming to be mistreated and underpaid and are demanding compensation. They’re even throwing rocks at bystanders, can you believe it?” 

Things have been complicated since the war began. The economy has largely been affected with property damage, development of weapons, conflict between countries and many casualties. Now, people working in households are having their payment reduced severely. Some of them even get fired from their jobs in order for the bosses to maintain their economy stable. The master has some trouble himself, with the Funtom Company still under reconstruction after the air raid. But he never fired Mey and Bard nor did he reduce their wages. Maybe it’s because it’s just them, Tanaka and Sebastian working at the manor. Usually, other households would hire 18 or 25 servants since mansions like Phantomhive Manor are too big for just one servant to clean. Just four servants, yet the house is always spotlessly clean.

How is that even possible?

“Hmm. I’m surprised you’re telling me this and not joining them yourself.” 

Mey gives him a bit of a stern look. “I like my place here, thank you.”

He chuckles. “Good. I’d be disappointed if you didn’t. Now, I’m off.”

“Yes, sir.” 

Sebastian leaves.

Taking a deep breath, Mey enters the bedroom. The master is still asleep. If he awakens and sees her instead of Sebastian, he’ll most likely get annoyed. Or pissed. 

Mey quietly sets the tray down on the nightstands and pours his tea into the teacup, not wanting to disturb his slumber just yet. At least when he wakes up and sees everything prepared for him, he won’t be entirely angry. 

The master stirs in his sleep, moaning lowly. He must be dreaming, Mey assumes. However, his dreams are never good ones. She learned this the hard way the first few nights she spent here at the manor. They’re bad dreams. Ever since his parents died in the fire, he’s been heard screaming almost nightly. Sebastian told her and the others not to worry. It will pass, he claims. But Mey is not entirely sure. She’s worried about how this will affect the master mentally. 

When she sees the master thrashing and crying out, Mey tries waking him up.

“Master, wake up…” she says, shaking him. “It’s just a nightmare, my lord.” 

Opening his eyes, Ciel sits up from the bed. Mey gasps at the sight of his left eye glowing purple with a pentagram in the centre. When he sees her standing next to his bed, he quickly pushes her away. Mey stumbles back and falls to the ground. She sits up, her heart stopping as the master pulls out a pistol from beneath his pillow and aims it her while covering his eye with the other hand. Trembling, Mey raises her hands to show she’s not armed.

“Forgive me, my lord. I didn’t mean to startle you,” she says, her voice shaking. 

“How much did you see?” he snaps at her sternly. 

“I…I didn’t see much, I swear,” she lies.

“Don’t lie.” 

“I’m not lying, I swear.” Mey doesn’t like lying to him. It will just make him angrier. But it’s the only thing she can think of to keep him from shooting her dead. Just like a lot of people, Mey has to resort to lying in order to survive. She wonders if the master does the same. 

After a moment of silence, he lowers his gun. “What are you doing here?”

“I, um, heard you screaming in your sleep,” Mey says meekly as she slowly stands up from the floor. 

“Where is Sebastian?”

“He said something about going to town to purchase ingredients for tonight’s dinner with Mr. Del Falco.” 

She may not be the smartest person in the mansion, but she knows some of the names of the people that come here and what their occupation is. Like Ilario Del Falco, for one.

Del Falco is the head of the Poseidon Company invested by the Funtom Corporation. He helps run one of the master’s factories in Italy and India. The Funtom Company is a toy manufactory company he owns. Despite not visiting it very often, Ciel is still in charge and has plans of repairing the one set in London. Mr. Del Falco comes to the manor to discuss business every few months. However, with the Italian military joining the Axis powers and invading France four years ago, it has made it difficult for the English military (or any English folk) to let anyone who is Italian, German or Japanese to enter England. And her master is no exception. A few days ago, Mey heard him talking on the phone. She assumes it was with Mr. Del Falco. Mey didn’t know what he was saying because their conversation was in Italian but she could tell by the hostile tone in the master’s voice that he’s not happy. 

Mey still wonders what exactly the conversation was all about and why Del Falco is invited to the manor for tonight. 

“Sebastian left me in charge of you while he’s gone,” she says. 

He frowns. “He left me with you?” 

“Yes?” 

“Why?” 

That’s the question she’s been asking herself since this morning. “I don’t have the answer for that, sorry. I hear there’s a protest going on in the town square so I’m unsure how long he’ll take to return.”

“I’m sure he won’t take long.”

Mey bows her head. “I already have your breakfast ready. Today we have kedgeree with cheese seftons, a side of grapes and cambric tea.”

The young master lets out a deep sigh. Mey can’t tell if he’s annoyed or disappointed.

He removes the blankets from his body and swings his thin legs over the edge of the large bed, big enough to fit four people. His other eye is still closed. Apparently, the master lost his right eye the day his parents died which would explain why he’s always wearing an eyepatch. But now, Mey can see that it’s a lie. He didn’t lose his eye. He’s only wearing an eyepatch to cover up a pentagram. 

“Pass me the eye patch,” he says. 

Mey takes the eyepatch from the nightstand and gives it to him. Keeping his eye closed, he places the eyepatch over it and ties the strings behind his head. He then holds the delft cup in his hands and takes a whiff of it. Mey remains watching silently as the young master drinks his tea. 

“Do you wish for me to help you into your clothing?” Mey asks once he finishes his tea. He nods in confirmation and she walks over to his wardrobe. Mey maintains caution, however, as she’s afraid he might shoot her while her back is turned. 

“After this, I want you and Bard to be ready for when Lord Damiano arrives,” he says, “Have you finished planting the roses in the front yard?”

Mey sighs. “I've tried, master. Forgive me. But I have so much to do. I need to finish polishing the stairwell. I still need to wash the laundry. I've only managed to plant half of the roses.”

“What about Baldroy?” he asks. “Surely, he can help you with that.”

“He’s busy cooking lunch,” she explains. 

“And Tanaka?” he asks but then, he shakes his head. “On second thought, don’t ask Tanaka. We don’t want him to have an accident.”

Tanaka is the only original servant who survived the fire but was also stabbed in the spine before he could try preventing the master from being taken, and has not been the same since. He now sits in a wheelchair. Mey has taken care of him this morning, giving him his medication as well as a bath. Baldroy even brought him breakfast earlier. Tanaka still stands every now and then but doesn’t move around much. He gets tired too easily. That’s why the master doesn’t want him working in the gardens. 

The master lets out a deep breath, looking frustrated. “It’s clear that we’re understaffed. Four servants are not enough for a large manor. I need to hire a new gardener. Otherwise, the estate is going to look like an African jungle. In the meantime, leave the stairwell and the laundry to Sebastian. You take care of the garden for the moment. I want the grounds well taken care of before Del Falco arrives. Understand?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Ciel doesn’t ask for anything else and begins eating his breakfast. Mey searches for clothing in his wardrobe. Most of his clothing is black or dark grey. She finds a few suits that are green and blue but she’s not sure if he’s willing to wear them this afternoon. 

“For our guest’s visit, which colour do you prefer? Green? Or blue?”

“Neither,” he answers with his mouth full, “I’m not in a festive mood today so black would be suitable for today’s evening.” He then smirks a little. “However, I should be making a better impression. It would be very convenient to show him the best of our hospitality. So, the dark green one will have to do.”

With all honesty, Mey has never seen the master care much for his guests, let alone being presentable for them, even if it’s a noble as important as Ilario Del Falco. What changed his mind all of the sudden?

Once the master finishes breakfast, he allows Mey to dress him. Since the master doesn’t know how to dress himself, he needs help, but it makes her feel uneasy having to see his penis while helping him put on his trousers.  _ Why is Sebastian making me do this? _ Her face burns and turns red from embarrassment. Once she’s done putting on his trousers, she proceeds to help him put on the rest of his clothing. A white button-down shirt and a basil green sweater-vest along with a brown tie. Mey then helps him slip on the dark green jacket and button it up to his chest. Lastly, Mey slips the wingtips over his small pale feet. She then brushes his black hair as she figures he can’t do it himself either. Is there anything he can do by himself? 

“That will be all, Mey-Rin,” he says, “Get back to your duties.” 

“Yes, my lord.”

“And again, if you tell anyone of what you saw, I'll put a bullet in your head. Understood?”

Mey nods before swiftly leaving his chambers, feeling lucky he didn’t shoot or throw a dart at her on the way out.

* * *

"So, Sebastian left you in charge of the young lord while he's gone?" Baldroy laughs while washing the dishes. Mey remains silent as she mops the floor, making sure that everything is clean and spotless. "That must be a nightmare."

Mey nods. However, she wasn’t the one having a nightmare this morning. “It was actually quite intimidating. At least, he didn’t throw a dart at me like he did to you.”

“Oh, shut it.”

“He’s really not happy about Sebastian being absent,” she tells him. 

Ciel Phantomhive seems to be quite dependent on Sebastian. It’s understandable. He is the one who brought the master home after the death of his parents. But she also noticed that it’s something else. Something more. And she has a feeling it may have to do with the mark in his eye. 

“He’s always unhappy,” Baldroy says. 

Mey sighs, not liking how Baldroy speaks about the master. Those are one of the rules of the house. No gossiping allowed. “Now, we both know that’s not true. The young master does smile every once in a while.”

“Yeah, when he’s making other people miserable.” 

She snaps at him. “Bard! Watch your mouth.”

“What? It’s true. And Sebastian seems to enjoy it as well. Also, don’t you think it’s odd how Sebastian simply appears after the deaths of Lord and Lady Phantomhive’s death?” Baldroy asks.

“We were all hired after the Phantomhive parents’ death and we didn’t seem to question it,” Mey says.

“But we’ve been getting to know each other for a long time. I know you. You know me. We know Tanaka. And Tanaka knows us. We know where we come from. What about Sebastian? What do we know about him?”

Mey frowns before walking over to Baldroy and punching him in the shoulder sharply. Baldroy cries out in pain and rubs his aching shoulder. She may be smaller than him but she knows how to deliver a good punch. 

“You’re starting to sound like those people protesting in the town square,” she says harshly, “If the master hears you talking like that, you’ll get us both in trouble.”

Baldroy lets out a deep breath. “I’m just saying. Sebastian and the master know everything about us but we don't know anything about them. Don’t you think that’s a bit unfair?”

Mey hates to admit it, but Baldroy is right. It is a little unfair. Sebastian and the young master know everything about her and Baldroy but they don’t know the people that picked them from the streets. Baldroy Gibbons is a veteran soldier from Brooklyn. He was forced to retire from fighting the war after an injury made him unfit to continue. He now walks around the manor with a leg brace, something he doesn’t want others seeing. He’s very sensitive when the television shows news of air raids and other bombings. He actually had a nervous breakdown when hearing that the Germans bombarded London once more on August 2, hitting the Tower Bridge and causing damage to armament factories on the outskirts. Apparently, three-hundred-sixteen V-1 bombs were used in the attack and only 100 reached the capital. Today, an American submarine called the Flier struck a mine and sank in the Balabac Strait and a German submarine called U-270 was depth charged and sunk in the Bay of Biscay by a Short Sunderland of No. 461 Squadron RAAF, according to the news on BBC. Bard still has nightmares about what happened to him during the battle but Mey never asks, mainly because he doesn't want to talk about it.

As for Mey-Rin? Well, her life is a little complicated, to say the least. She doesn’t like talking about her past life either. Sebastian and the mast have a few suspicions after she told them which part of China she came from but she prefers not to talk about it. All she can say is that she’s grateful that they found her. Otherwise, she would have been deported back to her country for killing all the men in one of Scotland Yard’s jail cells. Now, she’s a maid and doesn’t regret a single moment of it, unlike the people protesting at the town square. She’s happier as a maid. But still, Baldroy is right. She doesn’t know anything about Sebastian or the young master. 

Just who are they exactly? She’s not sure. And she’ll probably never find out. 

There’s a sudden knock on the door that leads from the kitchen to the gardens. 

Mey flinches. No one is supposed to be back there except for Sebastian and the rest of the servants. The master is still upstairs so it could be Sebastian returning from town. 

“Special delivery,” someone calls from the other side of the door.

No one is supposed to be back there. Baldroy pulls out his Browning Hi-Power pistol from his apron, ready to shoot whoever is at the door, but Mey quickly grabs his arm. 

“Woah, easy there, Bard,” she tells him.

“No one is supposed to be there,” he says, his hands shaking against the pistol. 

“I’ll answer it.” 

Mey heads over to the door. She looks through the peephole to check who’s outside. Obviously, she’s not going to open the door to strangers. They already had an intruder trying to shoot the master five months ago. They don’t need another one. 

However, she sighs in relief. It’s just the delivery boy. Niall Barrach. The lad is only ten years old, with freckles and curly brown hair, always wearing a pageboy hat and riding around Inverness in his red bicycle, delivering newspapers, packages and milk bottles. 

“It’s just Niall, Bard,” she tells him.” 

“How many times do we have to tell the little shit to use the fucking front door?” Baldroy says, relieved but also looking like he’s about to have a heart attack.

Rolling her eyes, she opens the door. “Niall, you can’t just go around back like that. You know Bard has a gun. He could have shot you in the face.”

“I knocked and ran the doorbell twenty times already but no one fucking answered.” 

That’s right. They’re far from the foyer. Of course, they wouldn’t be able to hear the doorbell. Usually Sebastian is the one who answers the door. “I’m sorry, Niall. It’s been a busy morning. We have a guest coming today and Sebastian is in town.” 

“Makes sense,” he says, “I got this package for you from London.” 

Mey raises an eyebrow. “For me?” 

“Well, it’s actually for Lord Phantomhive but since you’re here, I’m giving it to you. You can pass it on to him, right?”

“No shit. Of course, I’ll give it to the master. But who’s it from?” she asks.

“From the Royal Hospital in London but doesn’t say the name of the sender,” he says. 

Mey takes the package outside to open it, a few feet away from the manor, just in case it’s an explosive device. However, after opening the box, they’re simply small bottles of blood-coloured liquid contained in a wooden box with a glass lid. There are at least twelve of these bottles. And there’s a note attached to the box’s lid. Remember to take them every week, Lord Phantomhive. 

“What is it?” Niall asks curiously while trying to look over her arm. 

“Hmm. I suppose the master should be taking these.” Mey then looks at Niall. “How much do I need to pay you?”

“19 pounds,” he says, smirking.

“19 pounds? Really? For a small packaging?”

“Don’t blame me, lass. Blame the economy,” he chuckles slyly.

Mey groans in annoyance before giving Niall the money. “Here, maybe you’ll get better clothes with that. Now, get the fuck off our property before I tell Bard to shoot you, you asspiece.”

Niall chuckles and gets on his bicycle before riding away. “Bite ma bawsack ye radge wee shite!”

Growling, Mey grabs a rock in an attempt to throw it at him but she changes her mind and lets it go. He’s just a kid. A doaty bampot, to be exact. Great, now I’m starting to talk like him.

She reenters the kitchen and shows Baldroy the package. “It’s just some bottles. I think the master is supposed to take these.” 

“They don’t have explosive devices, do they?”

“No, I checked. It’s fine.”

“What did Niall call you this time?” he asks. “I don’t really understand the slangs here.”

“He called me a crazy shit and told me to eat his balls.”

“Why that little shit,” he snarls.

Mey laughs a little. “It’s fine. That’s how we sometimes talk.”

“So, you’re going to take that to the master?”

“I have to. I mean, no one else here is going to do it.”

A bell above the kitchen door rings, a sign that Ciel Phantomhive is calling. Each bell hanging on the wall has a label beneath it. One for each room. The bell labelled STUDY is ringing. The master is calling from the study. 

Baldroy sighs in annoyance. “Sebastian left you in charge of him. He’s your problem now.”

Mey lets out a deep breath as well.  _ This is going to be a long day. Hopefully, it will all be over once Sebastian returns from town. _

* * *

**Anyways, thank you for those who read the chapter. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think of this new version of the retelling of Black Butler. I will be delivering new chapters quite soon.**


	4. Sebastian Michaelis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian goes to Inverness to purchase nuts and learns just how paranoid the humans are towards the German civilians during the war. Though nothing much happens, Sebastian has certain opinions about the German refugee. Not to mention that he is currently having his own personal situation that he does not wish to talk about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no experience with Gaelic. I used Google Translate for the Gaelic-Scottish language so I probably suck at the translations. Same might happen with the German language.

After leaving Mey-Rin to tend to the master, Sebastian heads out for Inverness. Tonight, they’ll be having pickled sour lobsters and simmered hazelnut lamb. And for dessert, chocolate and white wine tart. Unfortunately, Baldroy forgot the hazelnuts so Sebastian has to go buy them himself and return before lunchtime. He just hopes the rest of the servants don’t make a mess of the house while he’s gone. Sebastian was actually hesitant in leaving the young master in the care of the maid as she’s very short-sighted and not very right in the head. He fears she might accidentally kill the master in one day. He hopes not. If Mey-Rin ends up ruining his meal, he’ll make sure she regrets the day she was born. 

Sebastian parks the black 1937 Cord next to the pavement in the heart of Inverness and steps out. He’s still not used to driving a vehicle like this. The first time Sebastian tried driving, he nearly crashed into a tree. It took some time, patience, practice and plenty of observation before finally being able to drive a car in the first three weeks when he began to work as a butler. Despite being old-fashioned, Sebastian prefers this new type of transportation rather than driving a carriage. It’s much faster than whipping a horse. Less tiresome for the arms. 

As he heads for the covered market, Sebastian sees the group of workers gathered together in the town square, shouting at bystanders while holding up wooden signs with obscene words written in red paint. They must be the bitter servants Mey-Rin warned him about. For a moment, Sebastian mistook them for ordinary Scottish citizens because of their common middle-class clothes but he can tell that their shoes are finer than ordinary civilian clothes. Fresh and well-polished shoes that can only be worn by servants that work at mansions.

_ Ungrateful runts _ . 

Sebastian enters the covered market and heads for the store where they sell nuts, spices and bread. He goes up to Beatham Breac, the owner of the store. An elderly Scottish man in a white apron and striped shirt. Behind him, the television is broadcasting news from the master’s home city of London. It seems that the Finnish won the Battle of Ilomansti. How unfortunate for the Russians, since Finland is somewhat indirectly aiding the German Army, but fortunate for the Finnish. Sebastian will give them a week before they start fighting with another country again. He sometimes wishes he can go all the way to Hitler’s place and shoot him in the face to end this bloody war. He’s tired of hearing news of bombings and is sick of seeing Baldroy going insane every time he hears about the Third Reich attacking again. 

“ _ Gabh mo leisgeul _ (Excuse me),” Sebastian speaks up in Gaelic. Most of the Scottish here speak English like most of the Englishfolk. However, the store owner doesn’t speak English much. Sebastian is not much of an expert in Gaelic either. He’s still learning the language.

“ _ Tha?  _ (Yes?)” the store owner says.

“ _ Cnothan calltainn? _ (Hazelnuts?)”

“ _ Thall an siud _ (Over there).” He points at the other side of the store where there are rows of sackcloths full of various nuts tucked in woven baskets.

Sebastian bows his head. “ _ Tapadh leat  _ (Thank you).”

He goes to the rows of sack-cloths and continues his search until he finally finds the basket full of fresh brown hazelnuts. The fresher the better, that’s what most cooks say. The master and his guest will prefer the quality of the food to be fresh and done well. It would be ghastly if he returns with rotten nuts covered in maggots despite the idea of it being amusing. Sebastian picks out a handful of hazelnuts and puts them inside a paper bag.  _ These should be enough _ . 

“Oi, Sebastian.” 

Sebastian turns his head to the store’s entrance and sees Niall.  _ Shit _ . Not him again. What an unfortunate time to run into this boy, always when he’s busy.

“What is it now, Niall?” he asks, rolling his eyes. 

Niall leaves the bicycle at the entrance and proceeds to enter the shop with his hands in his pants’ pocket. Sebastian would like to slap the smug look off that face every time he sees him. Unfortunately, he can’t. Niall will just go home whining to his mother. And his mother is a pest already.

“Your maid is a nutcase, you know that?” Niall says, “And so is your cook. He nearly shot me with his gun.”

“Let me guess, you tried to get through the backdoor again,” Sebastian says, despite knowing the answer to that.

“Um, maybe?” Niall says, his eyes looking down at his muddy shoes.

“We’ll, that’s your own fault,” Sebastian tells him, “You shouldn’t be going through the back like that in the first place. You should have used the front door.”

“I tried using the front door but no one was fucking answering.” 

“Well, sorry but that’s not my problem.” Sebastian finishes gathering the hazelnuts and heads for the counter to pay for them. “The young master has a guest tonight so I’m in a hurry. And I’d watch your language if I were you. If your mother hears you swearing, she’ll cut off your tongue.” 

“Nah, Mother is busy these days.” 

“Working on the streets again?” 

He shakes his head. “No, not anymore. She’s not getting enough clients since the war started. She started working as a cook at the Foirbeis House in Charles Street. She’s trying to earn more money to feed me and those English rich bastards staying at our house.” 

Sebastian frowns at him. “English bastards? What the bloody hell are you talking about? I thought you and your brother live alone with her.” 

“Not that you and your master are bastards. It's just those kids living in my house, Paul, Horace and Edmund. My mother agreed to take care of them for a friend of hers but they’re just a bunch of spoiled brats. Just because they're family is rich, they think they can live however they want in my house and Mother is treating them like kings while I have to act like their fucking servant. Not to mention that she’s making me babysit my brother.”

Sebastian rolls his eyes once again. He has no interest in listening to his woes. He had enough woes listening to his mother making phone calls and sending letters to him weekly. Sebastian tries to be police whenever he receives a phone call from Niall’s mother but at the same time, he has the deepest desire of tearing her throat out. He’s patient but not that patient. 

As Sebastian takes out money to pay for the hazelnuts, Mr. Breac raises the volume of the television which is a bit of an annoyance. Mr. Breac is partially deaf though, so Sebastian will let it slide. He sees the British new broadcasting live footage of people boarding off ships and into British lands, all of the passengers looking estranged and confused. Sebastian frowns. They’re not natives of England but foreigners. Photographs take pictures of them. Elders and groups of children wearing tags and carrying luggage are being led away from the ships and the reporters by the British Army.

“ _ This just in, King George and the British government are allowing to take in German refugees with open arms.”  _

_Ah, so that’s what it is then_. They’re all German civilians fleeing from the war in the greater countries of Europe. Sebastian has heard similar stories. Jews and Czechs fleeing to American and England. Even the Japanese are fleeing from their own country to get away from the vicious war that’s consuming innocent bystanders. 

Sebastian is rather surprised they’re accepting German children into England though. On the September of 1939, a large number of Germans living in Britain were arrested by police because the government were afraid they might be Nazi spies pretending to be refugees. They were treated similar to the Jews. Most of the Germans living in Britain were Jewish, of course. But the German refugees were interned and held in various camps all over Britain. Like many refugees, they eventually appeared before tribunals that classified them into three different groups. 'A' class refugees were interned. 'B' class refugees were allowed to leave the camps but with certain restrictions placed upon their movements. The vast majority of refugees were identified as 'C' class aliens and were allowed to go free. 

However, Sebastian can see that not everyone seems to be happy about German civilians arriving in the country. Protesters yell obscenities and throw objects at the refugees as they’re being led away by the soldiers. They’re even holding up signs of the Swastika crossed out with red paint. There’s no telling what will happen to those refugees. But with all honesty, Sebastian doesn’t really care. He’s simply here on this earth for his master’s soul and nothing more. He doesn’t care for human situations. 

Mr. Breac shakes his head in disappointment with a look of disgust on his face, before coming over to take Sebastian’s payment. He doesn’t seem to like the idea of German refugees coming here either. Sebastian looks down at Niall, noticing the fearful look in his eyes. 

“Niall,” Sebastian says. “I doubt every German is allied with Hitler.” 

“How would you know?” 

“Oh look how scary, a three-year-old German boy carrying a teddy bear coming to England. What’s he going to do? Throw it at me?” Sebastian pays for the hazelnuts and bows to Mr Breac. “ _ Tapadh leat _ (Thank you).” 

“You know,” Niall says, “If it weren’t for the Germans, the bastards wouldn’t be staying at my house and I wouldn’t be sleeping in the boiler room. It’s their fault we’re in this shit in the first place.”

“In all honesty, I think that if it weren’t for Hitler, those German kids wouldn’t be here so it’s not actually they’re fault.” 

“I thought all Germans supported Hitler.” 

“Well, that’s what a lot of people think but even some of the Germans are trying to get away from the madman.”

Niall sighs and heads back to his bicycle. “One thing’s for sure, those kids aren’t going to be easily welcomed by the English folk.” 

Sebastian chuckles in amusement. “Oh no, they will definitely be hated and discriminated against because of their race. But that’s England’s problem right now. Not ours. Now, go home Niall. And please, tell your mother to stop calling me. It’s becoming a nuisance.”

“She’s not going to stop until you see her.” 

“Tell her to stop or I’m calling the police. I mean it, Niall.”

“Just go see her and she’ll stop. See ya, Sebastian,” Niall says before riding away. 

Sebastian sighs in annoyance. Niall needs to mind his own business. If the king wants to open his doors to German refugees, that’s his choice. And if Sebastian doesn’t want to get involved in Moira’s family drama, that’s his choice as well. He will not be responsible for something that’s not even his. 

After finishing his errands, Sebastian exits the market and heads back to the car. Those bloody protesters are still shouting nonsense. Unfortunately, one of the protesters sees Sebastian and hurries after him. Shit. Sebastian quickly gets in his car and shuts the door. The lady knows on his window. Sebastian sighs and rolls down the window. Might as well listen to what this lady is pestering about. 

“Sir, did you know your master is abusing you!?” the lady shouts, her shrill voice ringing in his ears and almost deafening him. 

“No need to shout, miss, I can hear you just fine,” Sebastian says. 

“Sir, did you know your master is abusing you?” 

“Define abuse, miss,” he says without making eye-contact with her.  _ How the hell did she even know I’m a servant? Does my uniform make it that obvious? _

“Underpayment! Long hours of extra work without pay! They even get some of us fired just so they save their fucking money! They don’t care if we have families to feed!” the lady continues shouting. “If we don’t do something about it, they’re going to fire all of us and we’ll be on the streets begging for scraps! They’ll fire you too and every other servant in your house.”

Sebastian smirks a little.  _ Honestly, how naïve can this bitch be _ . “My dear lady, you’re mistaken. My master would never fire me. He needs me. And even if he did try to fire me, he has no other choice. He’s stuck with me until the very end. So, I’d try minding my own business if I were you. Not all servants are being abused by their masters. You’re so blinded by rage that you probably don’t realize that the real reason you were fired was because you couldn’t keep your bloody mouth shut.”

Sebastian rolls up the window and ignites the car before driving away, yet he can still hear the ignorant woman still shouting at him while swinging her sign around. The words STOP ABUSE are written on the sign in bold red. “We’re not blind, sir!! You’re blind!” 

Sebastian sighs. The lady probably has no idea how worse things were for servants back in the 1800’s. She should have seen his last master. Oh, how he would have liked her. 

He turns on the radio and listens to Jimmie Davis’  _ You Are My Sunshine _ on the way back to the manor. A ridiculous song but the singer does have nice vocals. 


	5. Finn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not very good at German. This is mainly Google Translate so I might have made some mistranslation.  
A song is borrowed from Season 3 of Penny Dreadful which is also one of my favourite shows.

* * *

**Finn**

"_When I was young and scared of the Lord, my mother would sing me a song. A tune that I keep in a sacred place because I know that my life won't be long. It tells of the place where you go when your time here on Earth is through. A beautiful place we call Heaven. Is it true? Please God I pray it's true_…"

The boy watches the young lady dressed in brown ragged clothes cradle a whimpering baby in her arms while singing that song. Children his age, younger or older, are huddled together in a corner to keep warm as the chilly sea air bites their skin. The boy has never been to the sea before. He's only seen them in pictures his "Father" used to show him in secret. They always looked bright and warm. The boy didn't expect it to be so cold and dark at night. He wraps the green duffle coat around himself to keep warm. "Father" gave it to him before he ran away from "Home". The boy was given a lot of things before he was told to run. The coat, a suitcase, a hat and something called a "ticket to freedom." He looks down at the strip of paper "Father" gave him that already had a small hole punched through. It mentions the ship's company, the Crescent Moon Steamship Company. The route is from Berlin, Germany to London, England. It states that the ship will arrive there three days' time, if the British Army doesn't decide to blow them up on the way, that is. The boy had to come here in secret just like everyone else, for the fear of being apprehended or killed by Hitler's army. Indeed, the boy can't call them "German Army" as they don't seem to behave like Germans anymore. They seem to act more like trained lions sent out to hunt the alpha's prey. Just like how the boy was treated before escaping.

He has no idea what will happen to him when he arrives to England. He doesn't know where to go or who to take shelter with. "Father" simply told him to run and not stop until he's safe. But where can he feel safe? When can he feel safe? How is he to feel safe when he can be shot by a bullet or blown up by a bomb at any given moment? In a time of war, no one and nowhere is safe.

The boy grabs a can of something called "Oscar Mayer's Wieners" and uses his thumb to poke a hole through the tin lid and then rips the lid clean off. Inside, he sees what looks like cooked red fingers. He frowns, not knowing what they are.

He sees one of the boys in front of him trying to open his own can with a fork but he can't seem to get it open. The boy smiles slightly and offers his hand.

"_Ich kann es öffnen_ (I can open it if you like)," he tells the other boy.

The kid looks at him with a confused expression. He's obviously a few years younger than the boy. 14 or perhaps, 13. He is then given the can. A can of "Niblet's Fresh Corn", whatever that means. The boy does the same thing he did with his own can and cracks it open. The kid looks at him with wide eyes.

"_Heiliger Fick!_ (Holy fuck!)" the kid exclaims, "Did you really open the can with your hands?"

The boy nods. "_Ja_ (Yes)."

"How the hell did you do that?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I was just born with it, I suppose."

That's a lie, of course. The boy knows how he got his strength. It was Doctor Kallenbach who gave him his strength. Him and "Father". And those needles they stuck into his arm. The boy still proceeds to scratch the scars on his arm every time he looks at them. They still itch even after the recent puncture healed.

The boy watches the kid eat what looks like yellow pebbles inside the can. "What is that?" he asks.

The kid stops eating with his hand and frown at him again. "What do you mean 'What is that?'?" he says, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his coat.

"What's that you're eating?" The boy asks more clearly.

"Did you not read the label? It's corn."

"What's corn?" He knows the can say "fresh corn" but he doesn't know what it is.

"_Scheisse_, you don't know what corn is?" The kid asks and he shakes his head. "It's what I'm eating now. This is corn. Have you ever seen corn before?"

"No."

"Have you ever heard of corn?"

The boy shakes his head once more. He's still new to the outside world so he doesn't know much of anything except for the sun and the sea he was told about. He doesn't know about corn. He doesn't even know what's in his own can.

"Do you even know what you're eating?" the kid asks.

"Not really, no."

"They're Americanized frankfurter," he says, "But in America, they're called hot dogs."

"Hot dogs?" He's seen Doctor Kallenbach bring in dogs before. "They're not made of dogs, are they?"

The kid makes a face. "No, gross. They're not made of actual dogs…that I know of."

"So, I can eat it?"

"Yes, you can eat it. You have to. It's the only food you'll be able to eat for the time-being. Don't be an idiot."

Nodding, the bow starts eating the frankfurters. They're a little stale and really salty but they taste really good. A lot better than the food he used to eat at "Home".

He offers the kid some of his food. "Do you want one?"

"Um, sure," he says, "Do you want some corn?"

"Okay."

The kid gives him half of his "corn" and the boy gives him half of his "hot dogs", and they begin eating. The boy gags a little. The corn doesn't taste as good as the frankfurters. It tastes too slimy and sweet.

"Have you ever been to London?" the kid asks.

"No. Have you?"

"Only once before the war began," he says. "But I'm guessing the English will be less welcoming to us now, with our country bombing London."

"That bad?"

"Ja, that bad," he says, "I'm Christoph Schönborn. What's your name?"

"Um, I think my name is Finn Braunbeck," the boy says while looking down at the passport to make sure he's saying his name right.

"You think? You mean, you're not sure?"

"I, um, forget a lot of things. A bomb made my memory fuzzy."

"I understand. Do you have friends and family waiting for you in England?"

"_Freunde? Familie?_ (Friends? Family?)"

"Yes, people that will pick you up at the docks once they drop us off. Or are you taking the train to another part of England?"

Finn stares at Christoph. He doesn't know how to respond to him since he doesn't know what friends or family means.

"Um, I was sent here by myself."

"That's not good. If you don't have family or friends that will pick you up, you might be taken into isolation. The English might think you're a spy. They'll arrest you or send you back to Germany. And since you're sixteen, it will make them think you're a German soldier."

The term soldier is something that Finn is familiar with.

"I don't want to get sent back to Germany."

"Then, we're going to have to do something about you not wearing a tag. See?" Christoph shows him the tag on his jacket's wrist. "It shows who I'm going with. You should have a tag on you as well."

"I don't have one. I was told to board the ship to leave Germany as quickly as possible. He didn't tell me where the ship was taking me nor did he tell me I had to wear a tag."

"Who told you?"

"A friend of mine. He gave me the passport and everything. What about you?" Finn asks. He's starting to like this Christoph boy even if they've known each other for a few minutes. It would be a shame if they get separated.

"I'm staying with a friend of my mother's. She's taking me to Manchester. I don't know where the other kids will be going though. I have to guess the countryside?"

"I've never been to the countryside. What's it like?"

"Um, grass. Fields. Trees. Have you never seen trees?"

"No, I've never been outside."

"You've never been outside? What? You've been living in a cave all of your life?"

Finn hangs his head in shame. "Something like that."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Can you speak English, at least?"

"I can, yes. My friend taught me. I still struggle with a few words but I can speak it."

"That's good. Try to defend yourself with that. The English will find you less suspicious if you can speak their tongue. You also need to do something about that tag. Otherwise, they'll think you're a spy sent by Hitler."

"But I'm not a spy."

"Yes, but they won't know that. One time, a friend of mine told me that this kid come to England without documentation. They took him away for questioning. A pocket knife was found in his coat and he was shot in the head."

"How old was he?"

"Barely seven."

Finn's eyes grow. "That bad?"

"That bad."

Finn doesn't know what to do now. If he arrives to England, they'll certainly quarantine him for questioning. If only he can remember what "Father" told him before he boarded onto the ship. The ship's horn was loud that he could barely hear a full sentence. And he was in a hurry to escape Germany.

"Remember, ask for…!"

"I…I think there is someone in England waiting for me," he says to Christoph, "Yet, they don't know I'm coming."

"Who's waiting for you then?" Christoph asks.

"I can't remember. Father mentioned a name but I can't recall. I was in a hurry to get out of Berlin."

"I think that person's name might be the only thing that can save you from being killed or sent back to Berlin," Christoph says, "I might have an idea though."

"And what's that?"

"I'll need a paper and pen. I'm not sure if it will work but it's worth a try."

Finn rips one of the empty pages of Father's notebook and gives it to Christoph along with a pen. Christoph proceeds to rip a strip from the paper.

"Can you write?" he asks.

Finn shakes his head.

"Can you read?"

"No."

"What the hell? Do you not know anything?"

Finn's face turn red in embarrassment.

"Sorry," Christoph apologizes, "I'm just surprised, you know."

"It's okay."

He watches Christoph scribble down at the strip of paper, making it look identical to the other tag. Finn doesn't say a word and continues eating the hot dogs while Christoph continues scribbling. Once Christoph is finished, he gives Finn the strip of paper.

"Tell them that your tag fell off if they ask," he says.

"Why does it look like yours?" Finn asks.

"You're going to be staying with me and my godmother, Aunt Harriet," he says, "I'll just tell her that you're my older cousin. She only knows me and Mama. She's never met the rest of my family."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get into trouble for trying to help me. I don't want to be a burden."

"Father" is already in enough trouble for letting him escape.

"What if we both get into trouble for this?" Finn asks.

"Then we both die," Christoph says, "End of story."

Finn is surprised of how uncaring Christoph is about the consequences they could both face for his actions. Perhaps, he's not afraid of the British Army. Or perhaps, Christoph holds no hope for the future so he finds the point of living meaningless and does not care if he dies.

The two boys huddle close together and put blankets around each other to keep warm. Finn watches the other children fall asleep as the night drags on and the boat rocks them to sleep. The fires in the tin cans slowly diminish. As the two boys start to fall asleep, Christoph's head, and his eyelids fall shut.

Every night, he would dream of running through green fields full of white flowers with the warm and bright sun bathing down on him. He would see singing birds flying above him. He would dream of having a family, whether it was a wife and a child, a mother and father, or a pair of siblings chasing each other while giggling. Dr. Kallenbach would always tell him that is never to have a family and is only a weapon. "Father" would tell Finn the opposite, promising him that he will have his freedom eventually. For now, Finn only has dreams. Good dreams. Sometimes, he simply wishes to remain in those dreams and not return to the awful realities he's forced to wake up to.

"All right, everyone wake up!"

Finn wakes up startled at the sound of a man's voice booming across the cargo hold. He looks up to see the man dressed in a green military uniform and holding a rifle in his hands. Finn feels his heart stop briefly.

"Oi, are you not listening!?" the soldier shouts, "Off the ship, the lot of you!"

Finn flinches at the tone of his voice. "S-sorry," he stutters, "Are we in England?"

"Yes, now wake your friend up and get off the ship before we drag you out. Now!"

Not wanting to be thrown off the ship, Finn quickly shakes Christoph. "Christoph! Christoph!"

Christoph's eyes flutter open. "Hmm?"

"We're in England. We need to move now."

The kid yawns. "Okay, I'm moving. I'm moving." He gets up and grabs his bag.

Since Finn doesn't have a bag of his own, he puts his passport in his coat pocket and keeps a strong hold onto the tag Christoph made for him.

"All right, all of you. Keep it moving!" the soldier shouts, "Single file!"

Taking a deep breath, Finn helps a still drowsy Christoph get in line with the other kids in a single file. All of the other children look tired and afraid, with the smaller children huddling close to the older kids. Thinking he should do this same, Finn holds Christoph close but the kid shrugs him off.

"You don't have to do that. I'm fine," he says.

"Sorry."

Christoph remains silent for a moment. He then sighs. "Though, you can hold my hand, if you want."

Smiling a little, Finn gently holds his hand and they continue to walk.

Finn glances at two British soldiers trying to awake the young lady who had been singing to her baby the other night. However, they are unable to open their eyes. Finn then notices how pale their faces are and how their lips have become blue and chapped.

"Shit," one of the soldiers say, "These two are dead."

"They must have died from the cold," the other says.

Tears fill Finn's eyes upon hearing this. Despite being ill, that poor lady tried bringing her baby to safety and yet, they weren't even close to making it. If only he and Christoph invited her to huddle with them near the fire. He still recalls the song she was singing to the baby. How they would be going to a beautiful place called heaven. Perhaps, she knew they were going to die eventually and was singing the song to comfort the child before their ultimate demise.

"There's nothing you can do for them," Christoph says, "This was bound to happen. Not everyone can make it. Come on, we mustn't delay."

Nodding, Finn follows Christoph out of the ship. His pupils dilate and his arm quickly covers his eyes at the brightness outside the ship. Since he came onto the ship in the dead of night and spent most of his days in the cargo hold, he has never seen the sun. He slowly removes his arm from his face, blinking a few times, and looks around the area he is now.

It's broad daylight. He sees soldiers taking out crates from the ship and moving them onto canopied trucks. There's something that looks like a fence made of heavy sacks surrounding the docks now standing before them. He can now see the ocean. It's still cold and dark-looking, unlike the ocean he's seen in the pictures. Just beyond the docks, Finn sees people gathered in a crowd, holding signs written with profanities and the German flag crossed out in red paint, forming the symbol of Hitler's army, while shouting and cursing at them. Finn doesn't understand. He expected the English to be more welcoming to visitors, not insulting them.

"Ignore them, Finn," Christoph says, "They hate us because they think we're from the Third Reich."

"Just because we're German?"

"Yes. Now, come on. We need to keep moving."

They climb down the ship's platform and onto the wooden dock.

"All right, kids, keep a move on," another soldier says. "Follow the line to register your names."

At the registration counter, Finn sees some of the children writing their names on a notebook and showing their passports to one of the soldiers who seems to be a lot bigger and rounder than the others.

"Christoph…"

"Yeah?"

"I can't write, remember?" he says worriedly, "I don't think I'll be able to write my name."

"Don't worry. I'll help you."

"But what if he asks me to write my name?"

"Just tell him that you can't write. I'll write for you."

"What if he doesn't accept?"

"Then we're dead, end of story."

"Is that your everyday phrase?"

"It will be if you're not going to shut up and trust me."

"Sorry."

As their turn arrives, Finn's heart begins to pound faster. So loud that he can hear them beating in his ear.

"Show me your passport, boy," the soldier says.

Finn shyly takes out the passport from his coat pocket and gives it to the soldier. The passport has not picture, something that "Father" thought it be wise to remove when giving it to him.

"Finn A. Braunbeck," the soldier reads the name out loud, "What does the A. stand for?"

Finn stutters a little, not knowing how to respond to that.

"Albert," Christoph says, "It's Finn Albert Braunbeck."

"And who the bloody hell are you, kid?" the soldier says bitterly.

"His cousin," Christoph responds.

"Well, I asked your cousin, not you."

"He's illiterate, sir. He can't read or write much."

The soldier continues reading. "How old are you, Mr. Braunbeck?"

"Um," Finn tries to think, "I've been alive for sixteen years, I believe."

"So, you're sixteen?" The soldier raises an eyebrow, "However, your passport says you were born in 1908."

"It's a typographical error, sir," Christoph explains, "Finn was born in 1928 but they wrote 1908 instead. We didn't have time or money to have our passports corrected."

The soldier grumbles under his breath and continues examining the passport. "No pictures on your passport either."

"I… I couldn't afford one, sorry," Finn says.

"And where's your tag?"

Finn shows him the tag in his hand. "Right here. It fell off."

The soldier proceeds to frown at him suspiciously. Finn gulps, afraid that the man will easily see through him.

After a few minutes, the soldier sighs and stamps the passport before giving it back to him. "I'd welcome you to England but your presence is already unwelcoming. Same for your cousin. Now, write your name and get moving."

"I -"

"Finn doesn't write well, sir," Christoph says, "Is it alright if I write for him?"

"Fine. Just hurry and get moving. We don't have all day."

Christoph picks up the pen and writes Finn's name on the registration book.

"All right, now move along. Bag checks over there," the bitter soldier points at the other side of the dock where another soldier is rummaging through the children's baggage.

"Um, I don't have any bags," Finn says.

The soldier gives him a look that makes Finn gulp in fear. "You still need to be checked. Even your clothes. So, get a move on."

Not thinking twice about it, Finn hurries to the bag checks while Christoph signs his own name on the registration book.

The other soldier gives him the same sharp look as the one at the registration table. "Where are your bags?"

"I didn't bring any."

"Let me check your clothing then," he says, "Arm up."

Finn raises his arms and the soldier starts patting down his coat in search for any objects other than his passport.

"Do you carry any weapons with you?" the soldier asks.

"No. Not really."

"Guns?"

"No."

"Knives?"

"No."

"Drugs."

"Not really."

The soldier pulls up Finn's sleeves to check for any weapons. He frowns upon seeing the puncture scars on the crook of Finn's right arm.

"What the bloody hell is this?" he asks.

"Um, injections," Finn says, "My father had me taken them before I left home."

"For what?"

Finn shrugs. "Diseases?"

The soldier also checks the boy's mouth to see if he's carrying any pills or any type of poison. After Finn is examined, he is sent with the other children to wait at the benches. Christoph also has his bags checked before going over to sit with Finn.

Finn proceeds to watch the people outside the docks continue their protest against the German children. As the hours pass, the crowd decrease in size, possibly from tiredness. One by one, a person would come and take the children and drive away into the streets of the city called London. An old lady wearing a straw hat, a brown shawl and round glasses, approach four of the children.

"Mrs. Macready?" one of the four children say.

"Are you the Hegeler siblings?" she asks in a very stern matter. "Petrus. Susanne. Emmerich. Luisa."

"Yes, ma'am," Petrus says.

"Come with me then," the old lady says before taking the children away with her. The youngest child of the bunch, Luisa, waves at Finny and he waves back shyly.

As the sun begins to go down, and there have remained very few children on the docks, a woman approaches Finn and Christoph. A middle-aged woman with short brown hair, tired bags under her eyes and is wearing a burgundy outfit. She gives the boys a warm smile.

"Christoph," she says.

Finn watches Christoph smile broadly, showing pearly white teeth, and bolts towards the woman. He jumps onto her, putting his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Aunt Harriet," he says.

"Oh, my dear Christoph, how I missed you," she says and kisses his head, "I'm glad you're safe. Where's your mother?"

Christoph sighs. "She decided to stay in Germany."

"Oh no," the woman says, her smile falling.

"But I'm here with my cousin," he says as he turns his head towards Finn.

Finn sits up straight and holds the notebook against his chest.

The woman smiles at him. "Hello, I'm Harriet Wood. What's your name?"

"Finn," he says meekly.

"Well, Finn, are you coming with us or are you staying here all evening?" she asks, giggling.

Smiling a little, Finn gets up and follows them to a black vehicle. Finn has never been in one so the idea of climbing into an enclosed space makes his stomach turn. It brings him back to the times when Dr. Kallenbach would seal him in a small metal box, having nothing but a slit for Finn to peek through and scream for help.

He then feels his hand being held and looks at Christoph.

"Come on, everything is going to be fine," he says.

That's what "Father" said to him before telling him to run. "Everything is going to be all right. Now, run, boy! Run!"

Finn ultimately climbs into the backseat with Christoph. Christoph helps him put on the seatbelt before putting it on himself. Finn looks back at the docks and sees some of the British soldiers leading the remaining German children away to who-knows-where. He just hopes they don't get hurt. As the vehicle drives away, he sees cobblestone streets like the ones he's seen in Berlin. He sees soldiers getting into their cars and people closing up shop after six. Finn might not be able to see the English daily life until the next day.

"I hope you're hungry," Aunt Harriet says, "I'll be making toad in a hole tonight, your favourite."

"Thanks, Aunt Harriet," Christoph says.

"Toad in a hole?" Right now, Finn is actually thinking of toad frogs in dirt holes.

"Not real toads, dummy," Christoph laughs, "It's actually a pudding batter full of sausages, onion gravy and vegetables. It's delicious. A lot tastier than the hot dogs you ate on the ship. Trust me, you'll love it."

Finn smiles a little. "I am a little hungry."

"Good...Hey, do you want to do something to piss off the English folk," Christoph gives him a smirk.

"What is it?" Finn asks.

"Christoph, don't do anything reckless," Aunt Harriet warns him.

"Don't worry, Aunt Harriet. It's just for the giggles," he says before rolling down the windows.

"Oh dear," she says.

"On the count of three," he says, "One...Two...Three!" He then sticks his head out the window and screams, "_Willkommen in England!_"

"How is that going to make the English angry?" Finn asks. "You're just welcoming yourself to England."

Christoph smirks. "Yes, but that's the fun part. Some of the English don't understand our language so those who are none the wiser will think we're insulting them. Come on, try it. It will be fun."

"Don't get him involved in your games, Christoph," Aunt Harriet says, trying not to laugh.

"Come on," Christoph says.

"Um, okay," Finn says and sticks his head out the window.

"Now, scream."

"_Willkommen in England!_" Finn screams, getting some confused looks from the English bystanders. He can't help but smile a little.

"That's it! _Willkommen in England!_"

"_Willkommen in England!_"

"_Willkommen in England!_" they both scream at the top of their lungs.

"Will you boys please sit back down already!?"

* * *

**End of Chapter 4**


	6. Mey-Rin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short but I've been dealing with schoolwork online so despite having free time, I'll still be busy taking classes online.

After entering the study with the package in her hands, Mey shuts the door behind her. Lord Phantomhive is sitting behind his desk, his eye looking through a few documents. His brow is furrowed tightly, filled with concentration as always. Mey even considered walking out of the office and coming back later, knowing how displeased he’ll be if he’s interrupted. But how displeased will he be if Mey leaves with the package? And eventually dropping it.  _ No, I mustn’t mess up _ . 

“I can hear you,” he suddenly speaks up before she can even move. 

Her eyes widens.  _ How did he hear me? _ Was it my breathing? 

“Um, sorry, my lord,” Mey says. 

Sighing, Ciel puts down the documents. “What is it now, Mey-Rin?” 

“A package arrived for you. From the Royal Hospital in London.” 

Lord Phantomhive looks up to stare at the package, his face expressing sudden surprise. “They’re my weekly medicine. Put it on the desk. Be careful not to break it. All right? I only get them once a month.”

“What are they for?” 

“For my asthma.” 

Mey bows her head and carefully walks towards the desk, putting the package down on the wooden surface gently. 

“Is there a reason you called me, master?” 

“I need the board game from the top shelf,” he says, pointing at the bookshelf behind her. “I decided to play a game with Lord Ilario if he’s going to stay with us this evening.”

Nodding, Mey climbs up the ladder to the bookcase’s top shelf where a flat rectangular box laid covered in a light sheet of dust. It’s a very gruesome and malevolent board game the master likes to play with his guests. Sometimes to scare them. Mey has seen it before. It’s the master’s twisted way of entertaining himself. Taking the board game in her hands, Mey cautiously climbs down the ladder since her feet can throw her off her balance. Her feet make her clumsy (not just her short sight), no thanks to Haku. She still recalls feeling her bones break and her own scream echoing against the walls as Haku twisted her feet for failing to shoot her last target. It still feels painful upon walking but she tries to hide her expressions of agony just as Baldroy makes the effort to hide his continuous fear of the war. 

In China, it was tradition for a girl’s feet to be bound and folded during childhood to keep them from growing any bigger. A practice that is now considered rare these days. Apparently, small feet made girls more attractive in China. However, Haku used it as a form of torture and punishment. 

Every now and then, Mey needs to take off her boots to massage her feet and crack her toes. She once tried to separate the rest of her toes from the bottom, but they’re stuck in a permanent bend. No one sees her walking barefoot for this very reason. She prefers keeping it that way to avoid being seen in a shameful state. 

Mey gives the young master his board game without question. As usual, no “thank you”.

“That will be all, Mey-Rin,” he says. 

She then remembers the conversation she and Baldroy had in the kitchen earlier. “Do you have a favourite colour, my lord?” she asks.

Lord Phantomhive frowns at her. “Pardon me?” 

“A colour. Do you have a favourite?” she asks. 

“Why are you asking such a tedious question?” 

“Well, since you know everything about us, I thought it would be fair if we got to know you,” she says, fidgeting her hands awkwardly. 

“…Has Baldroy been talking again?” 

Mey’s face falls when the young lord says this.  _ How did he know?  _ “Um, yes, my lord,” she sighs in defeat.

Lord Phantomhive taps the side of his chin while staring at her blankly with his ice blue eye. “Tell him to pack up his things and get out. He’s fired.” 

“What? No! Please, my lord, don’t fire Bard,” she pleads, “You know he doesn’t mean the things he says.” 

A small smirk creeps across his face. “I know. It was merely a joke, not a very wholesome one, I believe.”

“Oh.”  _ Now, I feel like an idiot _ . 

“With all seriousness, Mey-Rin, Baldroy needs to mind his tongue if he wishes to maintain his job.”

“Yes, sir.” 

“As for your question, would you like to guess what my favourite colour is?” 

“Um, blue?” 

The young lord chuckles in amusement. “It is. What is yours?”

“Master, you know I have no favourite of anything.” 

“Of course you do. What’s the colour that you use the most?” 

“Um, pink?”

“Then it’s pink. I would have guessed red, the traditional colours of China,” he smirks. He then continues working. “I need everything to be perfect this evening. That means no messing up, am I clear?”

“Yes, master.” 

“And wear something presentable. That goes for Baldroy as well,” he orders, “I hate the sight of you two in the presence of our guests covered in dust and kitchen grease. Last time Lau told me he could smell it from the game room.” 

Mey nods in agreement. “My apologies. I’ll notify Bard and we’ll be ready for tonight.”

“Good. You may proceed with your duties as usual.” 

“Yes, my lord,” she says before exiting the studies.

In the parlour, Mey begins sweeping and vacuuming the carpeted floor. Just as Sebastian ordered, Mey leaves her boots outside in the hall and wears a fresh pair of slippers to not track footprints or dirt on the carpet while cleaning it. Indeed, it’s a rough and tiresome task but it’s something she doesn’t mind doing. 

Mey spots the record player on the corner of the parlour. It still has the disc on it.  _ Hmm _ .

She walks over to the record player and turns it on. The Andrew Sister’s  _ Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar _ starts playing. It has a very decent song. Her head begins bouncing sideways to its rhythm. She then begins tapping her feet. Minutes later, she starts dancing with the vacuum as the music entrances her. 

As Mey twirls around, with her pink skirt flying around in a circle, she catches sight of a black and white standing at the entrance of the parlour. Mey stops spinning and squeals when she realizes it’s Sebastian. 

“What on earth are you doing?” he asks. 

“Sorry, sir,” she says, bowing her head in shame.  _ When did he return? _ She didn’t even hear him step in . 

“Please refrain from distracting yourself.” 

“Yes, sir. I’ve attended the master as you ordered.” 

“Very good. Now, get back to work.” 

Mey nods and returns to vacuuming the carpet, her face again red from embarrassment. 

  
  


  
  
  



	7. Finn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn tries to get settled in his new home in England but still feels he is unsafe.

"_Run!_"

I run towards the ship awaiting me at the docks. But with every step I take, the ship seems to get farther and farther. My feet slowly get stuck on concrete pavement and I feel myself sinking down while Father continues to tell me to run. To never stop until I feel safe. I still don't feel safe. I feel trapped.

"_Go! You must get out of here!_" It's all he ever said to me.

Looking up at the blooden sky, I see metal birds fly above me. I know who they are and what they're here for. To make us witness the world's own destruction. As the destructive eggs fall from the metal birds, I close my eyes and cover my ears to avoid listening to the bombs bursting upon impact.

"_Run!_"

Opening my eyes once more, I find myself in the back of the car with Christoph staring at me in confusion. I must have fallen asleep on the way to our new home.

"You all right, Finn?" he asks worriedly.

I nod a little. "Yes, I'm all right."

"Bad dream?"

I sigh. "You can say that."

"It's all right, Finn," Aunt Harriet says, "Once the war is over, you won't have to worry about those nightmares. They'll eventually go away."

No. I don't think so. I've had these nightmares since I was a toddler. They repeat themselves daily. And it's always the same thing. I try to escape but I've never been able to reach that goal. And I wake up in the same place. Of course, this time is different. This time, I did escape. I just can't believe it.

"We're here!" Aunt Harriet announces as she slows the car to a stop in front of a red-bricked building.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"Coventry," Christoph explains.

"What's Coventry?"

"Let's just say we're a little far from London."

I stare at the building, my eyes growing in astonishment. "And that place is all yours, auntie?"

She nods. "Yes, all mine. And now, it's for all three of us. I guarantee you're going to like it here."

"Three of us?" Christoph asks with a frown on his brow. "Isn't Levi staying?"

I blink when he mentions this mysterious person. Who's Levi?

She lets out a deep sigh. "He doesn't live here anymore…All right, let's get inside so you two boys can get settled while dinner is ready. I'll be making your favourite."

Christoph smiles briefly before getting out of the car. Confused, I follow Christoph. I didn't know he had a favourite meal. I don't even know what a favourite is like. Maybe I'll learn eventually.

We enter the house. There are a lot of things in here that I don't recognize. The only thing I'm able to recognize here are the chairs and the table. The windows are lower than the ones at the hospital. I can see the streets of England clear as day. The building is smaller than Dr. Kallenbach's hospital but the rooms are bigger than his office. It's also very nice and warm in here.

Aunt Harriet takes us upstairs to our quarters.

"My sons are out fighting in the war so they won't be back for a while. You'll be sleeping in their rooms for now."

The beds here are almost like the ones from my cell but bigger and prettier. The sheets are an explosion of colours like red, yellow, blue and green. I walk over to one of the beds and touch it. The colourful blankets are soft. Not hard like my old bed. Smiling, I sit on the edge of it. Christoph, on the other hand, flops onto the bed in a giggle fit. Aunt Harriet smiles at me before heading downstairs to make dinner. I wonder what we'll eat tonight. They don't know this but I'm still hungry.

Christoph takes off his boots and toss aside as well as his socks. Though, he practically peeled them, revealing bruises and red-an-pink bubbly blisters on his toes and ankles. It seems like he's been wearing those boots for a long time. As if he were running.

"How long were you running from Germany?" I ask.

He glances at me. "Hmm?"

"How long were you running?"

"Um, three months. I wasn't really born in Berlin. I was born in Essen. I was going to travel with Mother to Bremen to catch the ship to England. But when we got to Bremen, the nationalists were capturing the Jews," he sighs sadly. "My mother was Jewish. She kept me hidden. She got arrested. So, I'm here by myself."

"I'm sorry," I tell him. "I didn't know."

He smiles a little. "It's okay. It's not your fault. I still think Mother is alive. I know she's in one of those concentration camps. Once the war is over and the Allies win, I'll see her again."

"You're talking about the Americans, the British and the Russians?" I ask and he nods. "Father has spoken to me about them. They're said to be the good people trying to save us from the war. But Dr. Kallenbach says they're evil creatures that must be destroyed so Hitler can expand his empire."

One day, the other boys and I were sitting in a room together where Dr. Kallenbach showed us footage of Hitler giving his speech to the grand multitude of his army and other German civilians. Plans on removing and eliminating the Jewish. Plans to take over Europe as part of his expansion. And how enemies who try to stop him will be crushed. I found the footage confusing at first. At first, I didn't know why Dr. Kallenbach showed us this footage. But then, after one of my "brothers" did some analyzing, things started to add up. With the footage, Dr. Kallenbach's plans for us were really clear. Only until he realized we were complete failures and had no use of us anymore.

Christoph frowns. "Who's Dr. Kallenbach?"

I've been hesitating on mentioning Dr. Kallenbach because I didn't know if I could trust Christoph. Father told me to trust no one in Germany. But I feel like I should trust Christoph. After all, he seems to trust me. "…The man who made me strong."

His eyes grow wide. "Is that why you were able to open a can with your hands?"

I nod. Lifting up the sleeve of my shirt, I show him the scars on the crook of my elbows. "Each needle left me these scars."

Christoph's face turns white as the clouds in the sky. "_Heilige Scheiße_. He did that to you?"

"Yes."

"Why would he do that?"

"To make me stronger."

"Well, he made you look sick."

"Do I look sick?" I ask.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

When not giving him a response, Christoph scoffs and rolls his eyes before getting out of bed. He walks over to me and pulls me out of bed. Not knowing what he's talking about, I remain silent as he tugs me towards a washroom which is almost as plain as the one in Dr. Kallenbach's hospital. Christoph places a wooden stool in front of the sink.

He makes me stand on the stool. .

"Look at yourself," he says.

And I do just that. Gandering at the my reflection in the mirror, never have I noticed how horrific I look. I never paid attention to my gaunt appearance until now. I never saw the dark circles around my eyes. How grey and chapped my lips are. When I remove the hat from my head, it just makes my appearance worse. Without hair (which was roughly shaved away by the hospital's barber), I resemble the skulls Dr. Kallenbach keeps on his shelves of specimens. I even have the other puncture wounds exposed on the side of my thin neck. Christoph is right. I look awful. Hideous, in fact. I barely look human. It makes me wonder why Christoph wasn't scared off by my appearance in the first place. Perhaps, it was because there were other children on the ship looking similar to me.

"I didn't know it was that bad," I tell him.

"Anyone else would have ran to the hills," he says, "But I'm not like that. I know other children in Essen who look a lot worse."

I sigh. "Thanks."

I suppose that should make me feel better.

"All you need to do is eat a lot and you won't appear like you got sucked by a leech, eh?" he says, "And if you ask nicely, maybe Aunt Harriet will allow you to have second servings."

My lips stretch out in a small smile. "Maybe," I say.

We return to our rooms and proceed unpacking out belongings despite not having much. Christoph pulls out what looks like a black-covered notebook from the inside of his coat as well as a plastic bag full of black sticks. I blink and tilt my head to the side while observing his notebook curiously. Does he keep a journal like Father and Dr. Kallenbach?

"Do you write in that?"

He shakes his head. "No, I draw in it."

"Draw?"

"Yes. Want to see?" he asks.

Without thinking twice, I sit beside him.

He opens the notebook, showing me pictures of black-and-white flowers, animals and places, I have never seen before. A white dog with an egg-shaped head. A cat. A mountain with a flock of birds flying over it. A little girl in a frilly dress and curly short hair. There are even designs of rooms and entire buildings. They all look almost real and beautiful. I review the pictures in amazements. Did Christoph really make all of these? How?

"How did you make all of this?" I ask.

"My father taught me when I was six," he says, "He was once an artist and studied Industrial Design at the Folkwang University."

"What happened to him?" I ask though I should probably have probably known.

"He died," he says, "He got hit by one of those military vehicles but the soldier who hit him didn't stop to help. He just left my father there to bleed to death." He then smiles at me with assurance. "Don't worry. Once the war ends and the Allies win, I will return to Essen and study in the same university as father." He jumps onto his feet on the bed and stretches out his arms. "And I'll be the greatest industrial designer in the world."

I giggle. It really sounds like an incredible plan. I hope the war ends soon so he can make that dream a reality. I, on the other hand, don't have any dreams. In fact, I don't know what I'm going to do once the war is over. If the war ends. I have no family here. I have no money. And I'm not sure if Aunt Harriet will keep me here if Christoph gets sent home. It's possible that she won't. I'll have to fend for myself however I can. I know Father left me a name to find. The name of someone here in English. But I can't remember what name that is.

"Boys! Dinner!" Aunt Harriet calls from downstairs.

Jumping off the bed, Christoph takes my hand. "Come on, I'm starving."

"Me too."

We go downstairs together.

* * *

"Here we are," Aunt Harriet places a bowl of something red and golden brown in the middle of the table. Steam ghosts out of the bowl. Its scent is bitter yet pleasant. "Toad-in-a-hole pie."

"Yes!" Christoph exclaims happily and claps his hands.

I frown at the "pie". Hmm. It doesn't look like a toad-in-a-hole. There are no toads. I know what toads are like. I've seen their preserved corpses in liquid jars. These aren't toads. They're sausages, like the canned ones I ate on the ship with Christoph. Why would Aunt Harriet call it toad-in-a-hole?

"What's wrong, Finn?" she asks me, having a concerned look on her face.

"Where are the toads?" I ask.

Christoph snorts as he tries not to burst into laughter. Aunt Harriet giggles as a response.

"There are no toads in the pie, Finn," she says.

Wait, what? "Then, why is it called like that?"

Christoph has a giggle fit. "It's just a name, Finn. It doesn't have actual toads, dummy."

Aunt Harriet becomes serious again. "Christoph, you don't call anyone dumb, all right?"

"Sorry, Aunt Harriet," he giggles.

I smile a little. Honestly, it is a little funny. I'm such an idiot thinking there were actual toads in the pie.

The warm and bittersweet scent of the pie enters through my nostrils, making my stomach growl loudly. Christoph hands me the slice of the pie on a blue plate. I smile and bow my head, thanking him. Taking the fork in my hand, I stab it into the pie, causing the table to shake a little. Gulping a little, I turn to Aunt Harriet who looks back at me with a kind grin. I suppose she didn't notice.

"Here," she says before giving me a dull-edged knife. "I don't think you can break off a pie with a fork."

"Thank you." I start slicing the pie into small pieces to make it easier for me to eat. However, when I lift one of the pieces with the fork, I realize that I also brought in a piece of the china plate. I look under it. The fork had pierced through porcelain. I gaze back down at the plate. That's when I noticed. I broke the plate while slicing the pie. I peek up to see Christoph and Aunt Harriet stare at me with astonishment covering their faces. My own face burns in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry, Aunt Harriet," I apologize, putting the fork down. "It was an accident."

Father tried to teach me how to control my strength. It seems I forgot my lessons.

"Um, it's all right, Finn," she says, "It's not your fault. Besides, those plates have always been hideous to look at. My ex-mother-in-law gave them to me as a wedding gift for me and Levi. The only reason why I kept them is because I don't have another plate set."

Christoph speaks with his mouth full of pie. "You seem to be happy you divorced Levi. I thought you loved him very much."

She sighs. "Well, love comes at a cost. I wasn't happy when married to him. And neither was he. He was even more unhappy when I told him you were coming here. So, I asked him for a divorce."

"Must you be happy in a marriage?" I ask.

Aunt Harriet frowns at me strangely. "What do you mean?"

"Um, well, you see, my doctor used to teach me things about marriage. He used to say love is fictional. That marriage's only purpose is for procreation and nothing more. And that it is the obligation of the female counterpart to remain by the male's side until death, even if he tries to procreate with another female. I didn't understand but he said I will eventually when my time to procreate arrives."

"That's gross. Why would he say such horrible things?" Christoph says.

I shrug. "I don't know. I used to believe it but with everything you're saying, it seems to contradict everything he told me."

"Listen," Aunt Harriet says, "No matter what that doctor said, you have no obligation to do as he says. When you become older, you get to do as you wish. If you want to marry, get married. If you want to stay single, stay single. If you want to divorce because someone is treating you like you're useless, then divorce. No one is putting a gun to your head…"

_A gun to your head_. She's wrong. I did have a gun to my head. Dr. Kallenbach's gun. He would have blown my brains out if S-009 hadn't tackled him to the ground. S-009 gave my father time to get me out of the building. But not without hearing the sound of the gunshot. I don't know what happened afterwards. All I know is that Dr. Kallenbach lives. So, yes, I did have a gun to my head. And surely, so did S-009.

"…You can be whoever you want to be," Aunt Harriet finishes as she then starts to eat her meal.

I stare at her in shock. "Wait, I can?"

"Yes, you can. I don't know who your doctor is but he's not your father so he has no right to control how to live your life. You have the right to be happy."

She's right. Dr. Kallenbach may have created me but he was never my father. He has no right over me. I only have one father and that father is…

"HARRIET!"

I whip my head around to stare at the front door upon hearing the sound of a man's voice calling for Aunt Harriet. My heart skips a beat and a lump gets stuck in my throat. I look back at Christoph and Aunt Harriet. Christoph's mouth is agape with the piece of pie hanging. Aunt Harriet's face is chalk white.

She immediately gets up from her seat, the chair screeching behind her.

"Hide under the table. Quickly."

Christoph ducks under the table. I remain staring at the door as the banging and yelling continues. A tug on my shirt ultimately snaps me out of the trance and I hide under the table with Christoph, the fork still in my hand. If he finds me and Christoph under here, I might stab his eye out.

"Is that your Uncle Levi?" I ask Christoph quietly as Aunt Harriet trots her way to the front door.

He shakes his head. "No, he's not my uncle. He's just a bastard who married my aunt. He hates people like us."

"People like us?"

"Germans. He hates Jewish people as well. He hates anyone who's not English. But he has a special hate towards us because of the war. He's using the war as an excuse to express his hate freely. He even hated my mother and hated the idea of us coming here."

"I understand if he's afraid but ―"

"He's not. He's just a vile piece of shit."

"…Oh."

I listen to the argument. The man outside continues to yell and bang on the door. Aunt Harriet yells back. I can't hear exactly what they're saying. They're both yelling at the same time. It makes it difficult to tell what they're saying.

Minutes later, the yelling and banging stops. Aunt Harriet returns.

She looks over her shoulder towards the door. "Get out before I call Scotland Yard!" she yells once more before returning to sit at the table. "You can come out now, boys. He doesn't have the keys to get in. He's leaving."

Christoph and I crawl out from under the table. I head over to the window to see what this "Uncle Levi" man looks like but Aunt Harriet grabs my upper arm.

"Don't do that, Finn. He'll see you," she says, "Come on, sit back down and eat your dinner."

I nod and return to sit at the table. Christoph picks up his plate and sits next to me. This Levi man must have startled him. His hand shakes as he resumes to eat his pie. Aunt Harriet sighs and drinks her tea. She seems to be shaken by this as well. I don't blame them. That Levi man sure seems terrifying. I just hope he doesn't come back.

"Um, Aunt Harriet," I say.

"Hmm? Yes, Finn?" she asks.

"Do you think I can have second servings?" I don't want to be a vulture but I'm very hungry.

She smiles softly. "Of course, sweetie. You can eat as much as you like. It might help get some colour back on your cheeks."

"Can I have seconds as well?" Christoph asks.

"You too, love."

We proceed to eat our dinner. It got a bit cold no thanks to that Levi man but I'm so hungry that I don't care if the food is hot or cold. It's still delicious and filling. The sausages and the onion gravy are still a bit warm. The gravy is soft and rich. It's so delicious, I can just cry. And I did. Tears fall down my cheeks and I sniffle just as I eat the last bite and serve myself a second slice. Never have I been so hungry in my life. Never have I eaten something so good. All my life, all I ate was stale rye bread and sour milk. I never thought there would be anything else. I guess I was wrong.

A hand holds mine. I glance at Christoph who smiles at me softly before putting his arm around my shoulders.

"It's okay."

He's right. It's okay. I'm safe. Safe from the hospital. Safe from Dr. Kallenbach. Even if Father gave me the name of the person I need to find, I think I'll stay here. Because I feel safe. With Christoph and Aunt Harriet.


	8. Mey-Rin

Arranging dinner for Lord Ilario was a disaster. As predicted, Mey-Rin shattered the new china-ware when trying to get them down from the cabinets and Baldroy burned the food when trying to cook it with the flamethrower, despite having it confiscated for the third time. As usual, Sebastian had to fix everything before evening by arranging the yard into a Japanese rock garden and having Baldroy make beef donburi. Mey-Rin, on the other hand, got smacked in the bloody head with a newspaper by Tanaka.

Mey-Rin takes a cold bath since she doesn’t have time to heat up the water. They only have an hour before Lord Ilario’s arrival. After finishing her bath, Mey-Rin dresses in a cream knee-length skirt with a bow on the side and a grey blouse with a shawl neckline. Unfortunately, part of her nylon stockings is torn as she slips them on. She’ll have to find a way to keep the hole hidden. Mey-Rin then slips on a pair of white-and-brown shoes. Surprisingly, they were the last pair on sale because Inverness is unable to have shoes imported lately. She only picked them to hide her deformed feet. They’re not as good as boots but they hide them well. Mey just hopes she doesn’t fall. Otherwise, Sebastian will never let her hear the end of it. 

Mey sighs. This is going to be a tiring evening indeed.

* * *

The moment Lord Ilario enters the Phantomhive Manor, he is completely awestruck by the Japanese rock garden set in the yard. Sebastian indeed did a wonderful job with the yard. Ciel and Lord Ilario greet each other with a handshake and introduces the servants.

“Good evening, Lord Ilario,” he says, “I welcome you to our manor. These are the rest of my staff. Sebastian Michaelis, my butler. Baldroy, our cook. And finally, our maid, Mey-Rin.”

Mey immediately becomes uneasy the moment Lord Ilario sees her. She’s seen that look before from other gents. She looks down and fidgets her hands shyly.

During dinner, Lord Phantomhive and his guest eat the beef donburi. Mey tries to serve the wine but with Sebastian, Ciel and Lord Ilario watching her every move, she gets nervous. Mey trips and accidentally spills the wine on the tablecloth. Luckily, Sebastian is able to remove it in a swift movement before Lord Ilario cold notice.

A clever butler, indeed. Though, that’s the scary part. How is Sebastian able to remove a cloth in the blink of an eye without anyone else noticing?

* * *

After dinner, Mey, Baldroy and Tanaka are rewarded with lemon meringue pie. However, Mey kindly rejects the pie. She’s not exactly hungry at the moment. Her stomach is still on knots after accidentally spilling the wine. Lord Ilario’s staring made it worse.

Ciel and Lord Ilario talk in the library while playing the grim board game he. Mey, for one, is in the library serving tea. She doesn’t know why Sebastian asked her to come up to the library. She thought he’d have her do the dishes. But here she is, watching the master and his guest play their game. Ciel moves his gargoyle piece twice.

“I’ve heard rumours that the company in India is having trouble with the import overseas,” the master says. “Have you encountered any trouble with the German Nationalists or the Imperial Army in Japan?” 

“Oh no, of course not. On the contrary, the progress we’ve been making with the East India Factory is quite astonishing,” Lord Ilario says. “We already have the makings of a top-notch staff ―”

“Bewitched by the eyes of the dead,” Ciel interrupt Lord Ilario, clearly more interested in the game than the man’s words. “How unfortunate. It seems I lose a turn.”

Lord Ilario chuckles in amusement. However, he seems to insist on talking about the company. “Right now, it’s the perfect time to talk business. We should start expanding the company and building a strong labour force ―”

“How do you expect to expand the company when almost all the seas of the world are practically a battlefield right now?” he asks. “Unless you know a secret route, any ship that tries to cross enemy lines will be shot at.”

“But I ―”

“Go on, it’s your turn,” Ciel interrupts him once more, his tone full of boredom.

Mey doesn’t understand. If Ciel isn’t interested in talking business with Lord Ilario, why the hell did he invite him here to begin with? What’s the purpose of this visit? 

Lord Ilario lets out a sigh. “Oh yes…I just spin this then?” He spins the blue top with numbers on it. It stops at 5. He needs to move five spaces. Mey knows this because she watched the young lord play this game with his aunt. “I move five paces then. Now, what I want to ask you, perhaps you can contribute another 12,000 pounds to support the future expansion once the war ends.” Ciel remains staring at him sternly. “I believe it will be quite a profitable venture for you, my lord ―”

“You lose a leg in the enchanted forest,” Ciel says.

“Huh?”

“And it’s your turn again. I lost a turn, remember?”

“Oh, I see,” Lord Ilario says, looking uncomfortable right now. He moves the blue top again. It stops spinning. “Right, I move 6 spaces.”

“You don’t. That’s three.”

“What?” Lord Ilario asks in confusion.

“You lost a leg, if I recall. Now, you only move half the number of spaces.”

Lord Ilario stares at Ciel in shock as he says this but brushes it off as an odd sense of humour. “Oh my,” he lets out an uncomfortable laugh. “This is a gruesome board game, isn’t it? Is there no way to restore my leg?”

“I’m afraid once something is truly lost, sir, one can never get it back,” Ciel says, his tone turning cold. Mey finds it quite frightening. He leans forward and snatches Lord Ilario’s screaming boy piece away, much to the man’s astonishment. “Your body is burned by raging flames.”

One of the images in the board game shows a man being burned alive at the stake while surrounded by crosses. It’s like she can hear the poor man’s screams in her head, as if the man burning at the stake is real. 

“I’m afraid I can’t risk other people to sail overseas for importation,” Ciel says. “I was surprised you even risked your own life coming here to discuss business. You should be wiser with your choices, Lord Ilario.”

“Are you sure we should be talking business in the presence of the servants?” Lord Ilario asks.

“Sebastian and Mey-Rin are one of my most loyal servants. Nothing that we say in this room comes out of their mouths,” Ciel says sternly.

“Mey-Rin,” Sebastian whispers in her ear, “Refill the cups.”

Bowing her head, Mey goes to do just that. Lord Ilario proceeds to watch her, eyes following her moves as she pours the tea. Lord Phantomhive seems to notice and glares at the Italian man.

“Where did you find your maid?” Lord Ilario asks with a sort of glee in his eyes.

“Sebastian found her for me,” Ciel says. “When my parents died, most of the servants perished in the fire. The surviving staff left. Tanaka was the only one who remained by my side. I was still short on staff. So, I had Sebastian hire Baldroy and Mey-Rin for me.”

“A Japanese man?” Lord Ilario’s eyes wide in surprise. “I didn’t expect them to still be allowed in England, considering that they are now public enemy of the war.”

“Tanaka has been in my family for many years,” Ciel points out, “So, he has nothing to do with the war. I know that some of the Japanese are being sent to internment camps because they’re believed to be spies which is complete nonsense. But as long as he lives in this manor, he won’t be sent to any damn prison camp.”

“And what about your maid? Is she Japanese as well?”

Ciel shakes his head. “Mey-Rin is from China.”

“Does she not feel uncomfortable working alongside a Japanese man? The papers say that China and Japan are also at war with each other ―”

“As I said, before. Neither have to do anything with the war so they have no reason to despise each other. Mey-Rin and Tanaka get along just fine. So, I wouldn’t try asking indecent questions in front of my staff if I were you. They get easily offended.”

Mey keeps her head down but feels her blood boiling inside. She would really like to smash the teapot on Lord Ilario’s head for making such insolent questions. But she simply tries to avoid making eye contact with him. She sighs and returns to her place.

“Yes, of course.” Lord Ilario says, “Now about the company ―”

“Before we discuss that, we must finish the game,” Ciel says, as cold as ever.

Cold as the knife she might drive through the Italian man’s throat if he doesn’t shut up about the company in India. 

“Oh, yes. I do have a pressing appointment though. Perhaps another time ―”

“Children can be very demanding with their games. Surely, you don’t want me to get upset,” the master smiles this time. It’s not a real smile though. It’s more like a smirk. Those kinds of smiles mean bad news.

“No, of course not,” Lord Ilario says apologetically. “Perhaps, you’ll allow me to make a phone call first.”

“Go ahead. Be my guest.” 

Lord Ilario gets up from his seat and leaves the library.

That was strange.

Mey pours the young master another fresh cup of tea. The young master takes the cup to his lips but doesn’t drink it. He sniffs it and makes a disgusted face. 

“What is this?” he asks. “It smells terribly weak.”

Mey looks at Sebastian, hoping he’ll answer the young lord’s question for her. She doesn’t know what tea she’s serving. She’s just following orders, nothing more.

“Out of consideration for our guest, I brought some Italian tea,” he answers.

“Italian?” the master asks, his face wrinkled.

“Italians drink more coffee than tea, sir. Finding high-quality Italian tea was difficult. This particular selection does not suit your liking, I suppose.”

The master glares at the tea once more. “No, it’s not. I don’t like it at all.”

“Apologies. I shall see to the dessert preparations,” Sebastian bows his head.

Ciel nods return and smirks. “Good. We must show Lord Ilario every available hospitality. The Phantomhive family is known for its curtesy.”

“Yes, my young lord.”

Ciel then turns to Mey. “Bring me some earl grey. I want to wash this bad taste from my mouth.”

“Yes, master.” Mey bows her head before leaving the library.

That was the most uncomfortable situation she ever faced in her entire life. Though it wasn’t the first time she was in a position she didn’t like being in.

* * *

As she walks down the corridor with the tea tray in her arms, she suddenly hears talking in on of the rooms nearby. The telephone booth, to be exact. According to Sebastian, the booth has been in the manor since 1888. Despite there being telephones installed around the house, the master decided to keep the telephone booth for the guests to make private phone calls.

Mey had no intention of eavesdropping but judging by the voice, she can tell it’s Lord Ilario talking on the phone.

“I’m tired of babysitting this child earl…Are you sure I can’t just kill him?... Yes, I’ve already sold off the factory to the Germans. Now they’ll have enough factories to produce their weapons…Now all is left for me is to squeeze more money out of the brat right now…The employees? Who cares about them? Kick them to the street if you like. And if any of them tries to warn the earl, we can just shoot them all.”

Mey puts her hand over her mouth to hold back a gasp. Lord Ilario sold her master’s factory to the Germans. And now plans to steal money from him. He’s been deceiving her master the entire time. She needs to tell Sebastian quickly.

She quietly walks past the telephone booth, not wanting Lord Ilario to hear her. One of her feet suddenly throws her off balance. She trips to the side but quickly stands upright. However, this doesn’t stop the teapot from falling. It shatters loudly against the carpeted floor and earl grey spill everywhere. Mey closes her eyes tightly and curses at her mistake. 

_Fuck_.

She immediately turns around to see Lord Ilario come out of the telephone booth. They stare at each for a moment, her eyes wide in fear and Lord Ilario’s in shock.

She tries making a run for it. Unfortunately, she’s not fast enough. Lord Ilario grabs her by the upper arm, stopping her. Mey gets slammed against the wall and his hand wraps around her throat in a tight squeeze.

“How much did you hear!?” he snaps at her.

Mey shakes her head in a panic. “I didn’t hear anything, honest.”

“Liar!” He slams her against the wall once more. “I’m going to make sure you stay quiet, girl!”

Mey tries to scream but Lord Ilario puts his hand over her mouth and squeezes her throat tighter.

Reacting fast, Mey kicks Lord Ilario in the balls. He cries out in pain and lets go of her. Snarling in anger, she jumps up and wraps her legs around his neck, quickly throwing him down to the ground. Mey grabs one of the shards from the teapot. She screams in rage as she aims to stab Lord Ilario in the face, only to have her wrist grabbed by Sebastian. She looks at him over her shoulder, her teeth gritted and a look of venom in her eyes. But once she sees Sebastian, her angry expression fades away. Her body is shaking from the rage and adrenaline coursing through. Mey looks at her hand, seeing the edges of the shard digging into her flesh.

“Mey-Rin, enough,” Sebastian says calmly.

Shocked at what she almost did, Mey lets go of the shard.

“What’s going on here!?” the master shouts as he appears in the hallway, looking quite displeased from the commotion. 

Mey quickly rushes to him and falls to his feet. “Master, please forgive me! I’m sorry.”

“What happened?”

“Don’t believe anything that wretched girl says!” Lord Ilario snaps angrily. “She attacked me first.”

Tears fall down her cheeks. “I overheard him saying that he sold your factory to the Germans and is trying to take money from you but asking more.”

“She’s lying!”

“That’s enough!” The master yells angrily before turning to Sebastian, “Get her out of here. Now!” 

Sebastian bows his head. “Yes, my lord. Come along, dear.” He pulls Mey to her feet and leads her away from the corridors, leaving the master alone with the bastard of Lord Ilario.

“We can’t leave him alone, Sebastian,” she says.

“Trust me, he’ll be fine,” he says.

* * *

Mey hisses as Sebastian presses a damp cloth against her bruised neck, purple blotches decorating her skin.

“I have spoken to the master,” he says, “Lord Ilario will be leaving tomorrow and will never return to this place ever again. Still, you should be more careful. If he ever comes near you again, call me.”

“I’m sorry,” Mey says and hisses as the cloth touches her skin once more.

“What else did you hear from Lord Ilario?” he asks.

“Nothing else, sir. Only what I told you and the master. I was going to tell the young lord when Lord Ilario attacked me.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“I worry for the young master.”

“I’m sure the young master can take care of himself,” he assures her.

Mey smiles a little. “I’m sure he can. But that’s not what I meant. When you took me in, I promised to protect the Phantomhive Manor.”

“You’ve done a good job so far,” he says. 

“…Thank you,” she says, smiling and taking his hand in hers.

Sebastian frowns at this gesture and retracts his hand. He bows before leaving her bedroom. Mey looks on in confusion. _Did I say something wrong?_

She sighs tiredly. Taking off her glasses, Mey puts them on the nightstand before curling up in the bed in a fetal position. She knows Sebastian will never respond to her even if she asks. Neither will the master. Never a _thank you_, _please_ or _you’re welcome_. That’s just how it is.

* * *

Mey wakes up the next morning, dresses up in her uniform and immediately gets to work. Sebastian has given her instant orders to clean Lord Ilario’s bedroom. Despite not wanting to, especially after what happened last night, she obeys.

Much to her luck, Lord Ilario is nowhere to be seen once she entered the bedroom. She sighs in relief before getting to work. She cleans the dust from the dresser with the feather duster and sweeps the floor. She makes the bed though there isn’t much to make. It doesn’t look like he slept in here last night. How odd. If he left the manor before dawn, then good riddance. She prefers to never see that man ever again.

As she walks past the master’s office, she once again catches wind of the master’s conversation with someone. Since Sebastian is preparing breakfast with Bard, she assumes the master is talking on the telephone.

“Yes…Burn it all. I can’t have those nationalists using my factory to manufacture weapons. I will not allow it. If the factory is no longer mine, it will belong to no one. So, burn it to the ground. That’s the best you can do for me…Send them home. It’s the only thing I can do for them. They’ll have to find work somewhere else for the time-being. It will be a headache for them. It’s a headache for me too but I’ll make sure they’re compensated for their hard work…Yes, burn it down.”

Mey stands there, completely shocked. So, the master will burn his factory down to stop the German nationalists from using it manufacture weapons? _Holy shit_. It certainly is an extreme measure to take. But perhaps, it might be the best decision the master can make. 

She quickly goes downstairs to the kitchen to help Baldroy clean the dishes. He and Sebastian are already occupied cooking breakfast for the young lord, might as well do him a small favour.

Baldroy is cutting a liver, his apron now covered in meat grease, while Sebastian is preparing some sort of sauce.

Baldroy looks up at Mey and smiles. “Morning, Mey-Rin. We’re going to have duck liver for breakfast.”

Mey smiles back. “Morning, Bard.”

“Hey, Sebastian, where did you get the duck liver?” he asks. “We don’t have ducks around the manor.”

“I bought them at the market yesterday,” Sebastian answers and speaks with a warning tone. “Careful how you slice the liver. One wrong move and you’ll ruin the master’s breakfast.”

“All right, all right. Sheesh,” Bard says before continuing to slice the liver. 

Rolling her eyes, Mey heads over to the sink to wash the dishes, only to find the sink completely empty and the dishes set on the drying rack already clean from any food spots. She glares at Bard. “Bard, I told you I’d wash the dishes.”

“Well, after what happened last night with Lord Ilario, I thought it would be best not to overwork yourself,” he says, “I swear, if I see that bastard again, I’ll grab this knife and chop his cock off.”

Mey smiles a little. He’s always trying to protect me, isn’t he? Like I’m some sort of child. Sometimes, he can be a bit too overprotective.

“That won’t be necessary,” Sebastian says, “Lord Ilario is no longer here. He left early in the morning.”

“That’s good,” Baldroy says.

“I needed a distraction after last night, and you ruined it,” she says, “Now, I need to find something else to distract me.”

“I have something for you to do,” Sebastian says, “There has been an accident in the wine cellar. I dropped one of the bottles and there is wine everywhere. I need you to clean the mess for me.”

Baldroy raises an eyebrow. “You dropped a wine bottle? That’s hard to believe.”

“Even first-rate butlers can have accidents, Bard. And if I hear you using such vulgar words again, I will diminish your wage again,” Sebastian says, “Now, Mey-Rin, go and grab a sponge and a bucket. There’s Bon Ami powder in the supply closet you can use to clean up the mess easier. Be sure to wear gloves.”

Mey nods. “Yes, sir.”

She goes down to the wine cellar with the cleaning products. Her eyes grow wide once more when she sees a significant amount of wine spilled all over the floor. Holy shit. It’s like a murder happened here. All right then. Let’s get to it. Mey puts on a pair of latex, folds the sleeves to her elbows and wraps a black trash-bag around her skirt to not stain it while scrubbing the floor.

Mey starts cleaning the mess. First, she pours Bon Ami powder over the stains so they can be absorbed and cleaned easier. She then scrubs the floor with the soaked yellow sponge.

However, she notices something interesting. The wine seems to come off too easily. It usually takes a while to clean wine from the floor. The floor would get sticky in minutes. But here, she’s able to clean the wine in one sweep. And then there’s the scent. Yes, it smells like red wine. But there’s another scent mixed into it. A scent Mey finds familiar. _Is this blood? No, no it can’t be blood. I must be mistaken. Maybe my nose needs fixing. This can’t be blood_.

“Is everything all right?” Mey hears Sebastian ask.

Mey looks up at the stairwell where he stands. He seems to stare down at her coldly. And his eyes seem to change colour. Gulping, she nods her head. He doesn’t look very happy. He seems suspicious of her. As if she did something wrong. As if she saw something she wasn’t supposed to see. 

“Y-yes, sir.” 

He sighs. “Very well. Finish cleaning up. I have made foie gras for breakfast.”

“Foielewhat?” Mey asks.

He rolls his eyes. “Foie gras. Duck liver.”

Mey frowns a little. She remembers Baldroy stating that they don’t have ducks. “But we don’t have ducks ―”

“I’ve already made some for the master. The rest are prepared for the rest of us.”

“Um, okay,” she says.

After she finished cleaning, Mey goes upstairs to have breakfast. For some reason, the knot in her stomach tightens again. She doesn’t like that feeling, knowing that something is wrong. Why do I have this feeling? Is it because of the wine? Is it because I thought it was blood? Or it the way Sebastian stared at her? How his eyes seemed to have changed colour when he glared at her. Maybe that’s why she has this uneasy feeling.

Breakfast is already served on the table. Baldroy and Tanaka already started eating. Mey sits at the table and stares at the plate in front of her. Sebastian says it’s foie gras with mustard seeds and green beans in duck jus. But something about the dish tightens her stomach even more and makes her hesitate from picking up the fork.

“You okay, Mey-Rin?” Baldroy asks, “You look a little pale. Did you see a ghost or something?” 

Mey smiles slightly. “If I have, I’d be running for the hills and not sitting here.”

“Well, you should eat before your breakfast gets cold. Sebastian wants us back to work after we finish our meals.”

Nodding, she begins to eat. It doesn’t really taste like duck. It tastes different. _Very_ different. She knows there are no ducks in the farm so this can’t be duck liver. _Can it be chicken?_

“I hope the meal is too your liking,” Sebastian says. “The master enjoyed it so much, he should you all should have some as well.” 

Mey immediately takes notice of something. Why is Sebastian not eating?

“Are you not going to have breakfast with us, sir?” she asks.

“I already ate earlier before starting work. But thank you,” he says with a kind smile.

She and the others proceed to eat. Mey bites into the foie gras but before she can swallow it, she starts choking. Coughing loudly, she holds her hands to her throat. _What the fuck is this?_

“Mey-Rin, what is it?” Bard asks worriedly. He reaches out but Mey quickly smacks his hand away and shakes her head vigorously.

_I can’t breathe!_

Quickly getting up from the table, Mey-Rin rushed to the nearby washroom. Something is stuck in her throat. She needs to get it out of her. Standing in front of the sink, she sticks her fingers into her mouth and reaches for whatever is stuck in the back of her throat. Tears fall down her cheeks. It hurts so much. _I can’t breathe_. When reaching the back of her throat, she gags and ultimately, vomits into the sink. She coughs and takes deep breaths. _Thank goodness_. 

_What the hell was that? Did I choke on a bone or something? _

Looking down into the sink, she gasps at the sight of a chewed finger near the drain. An actual human finger. She was choking on a finger. It was in the liver. And she was eating it. Why was there a finger in her breakfast?

Wait a minute. A horrifying realization comes to her. The smell of blood mixed with wine. Bard slicing the liver with Sebastian. Sebastian never answered when Bard asked where the duck liver came from. How Lord Ilario simply disappeared before morning.

“Oh my God…” Her head becomes light and fuzzy, and her knees weaken. Before she knew it, she falls to the tiled floor. She realizes that what Sebastian’s feeding them is not duck liver. It’s human liver stuffed with cooked body parts. It was Lord Ilario.


	9. Finn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the chapter is too short. It really depends on how long does the character get screentime.

**The night before...9:30 pm.**

* * *

Vomit splashes into the toilet bowl. Well, there goes dinner. And what a shame. It was so delicious. Christoph rubs my back as I continue vomiting chunks of food and yellow liquid in the toilet. My mouth is now invaded by the taste of stomach acid. Gross.

“Oh god,” I mumble before throwing up again.

“No one told you to eat four slices of pie,” Christoph says, “Are you crazy or something?”

I cough. “It was delicious.”

“Still, you need to take it easy. If you’ve never eaten this much, you should take it slow.”

I nod and vomit again.

After I finished throwing up, Christoph helps me clean up. I wash my mouth in the sink and change into a nightgown Aunt Harriet gave us. It feels so warm and cozy, unlike the nightgowns Dr. Kallenbach would give us. They were usually paper thin and itchy. They also couldn’t protect us from the cold.

“Are you feeling better now?” Christoph asks.

“Yes, I’m feeling a lot better,” I tell him.

“Do you want me to get you some water?”

I shake my head. “No, thank you. I think I’m fine now.”

“At least brush your teeth before going to bed,” he says, making a disgusted expression. “Your breath smells awful.”

“I don’t have a toothbrush,” I mutter.

“Well, I’m not letting you borrow my toothbrush. You can borrow a lot of my stuff but my toothbrush is off limits. No. Gross. I’m going to ask Aunt Harriet for a toothbrush. Stay here.”

Christoph pats my shoulder and runs downstairs.

Nausea comes up my throat and I go to vomit into the toilet again. I empty the contents from my stomach into the toilet bowl. However, my head swims. My vision starts to blur and black dots begin to appear. Oh god. What is happening to me? Why do I feel awful?

Before I knew, I fall to the tiled floor. Christoph calls my name and everything goes black. 

* * *

_“Twelve…Twelve!”_

_I wake up at the feeling of Father shaking me. My eyes open wide and look up at him. Father’s expression was tiresome and scared. Pale as a ghost. He wasn’t wearing his usual white labcoat. He was dressed in a white button-down shirt, black trousers, a brown trench coat and a fedora hat. It wasn’t even five in the morning, and he already had the shadow of a beard around his face._

_“Father,” I whisper. _

_“Come, we have to go,” he says, pulling back the blankets from me. _

_I sit up from the bed. “Where are we going?” _

_“Don’t ask questions. Here.” He gave me clothing. Clothing that was not of the hospital. “Put them on. It took me awhile to get clothes in your size.” _

_I didn’t know why he would give me nice clothes but I did not question Father’s orders. I put on the clothes he gave me. I looked around the cell. Where is Nine? Where is my cell mate? _

_“Nine?” _

_“Don’t worry about Nine right now. He’s keeping watch.” Father puts the cap over my head. _

_“Where are we going?” _

_“Come.” _

_“What about Dr. Kallenbach? He won’t be happy you’re letting me and Nine out.” _

_He snaps at me angrily. “I don’t give a shit about what Kallenbach says! I’m not sending you children out there to die!” _

_I was so startled by his sudden change of tone, I sniffled and tears fell down my face. _

_“Listen, we need to go. Now.” _

_After much hesitation, I nodded and followed Father out of the cell. As we run down the hall, that’s when we heard the gunshots. _

* * *

“Finn!”

My eyes snap open. My vision is slightly blurry. But I can feel someone shaking my shoulders, just like Father did. I turn my head and look up, seeing nothing but blurry blobs. My vision slowly clears. Christoph and Aunt Harriet’s faces peer down at me with worried expressions on their faces. 

“Finn, what the hell happened?” Christoph asks.

“Language, Christoph,” Aunt Harriet says though she doesn’t seem to actually mean it. It’s something automatic. I know how that feels. The lot of us back in Germany would say or do things without thinking. Because that’s what they raised us for.

“Sorry, Auntie.” Christoph grabs my arm and helps me up from the floor. Aunt Harriet does the same and they both carry me to bed.

Lying down on the bed, I take a deep breath. I can still taste stomach acid and the chunks of food that’s still in my mouth. Aunt Harriet pours me a glass of water. I take it and drink it.

“Are you all right now, Finn?” she asks.

I nod. “I think so. What happened?”

“You fainted,” Christoph says, “When I came back with the toothbrush, you were unconscious on the floor. I called auntie fast.”

“We were worried you might have injured your head,” Aunt Harriet says.

“Or you could have choked in your own vomit so we turned you upside down,” Christoph says.

I gulp a little. I hope neither of them saw the number on the back of my neck. It would be frightening to explain it to them.

He smiles a little, “I’m glad you’re not dead though or we would have hidden your body in the basement.”

I giggle.

“All right then,” Aunt Harriet says as she places her hand on my hand. “Well, you don’t have a fever. That’s good. I suppose my pies were bad for your stomach.”

I smile a little. “They were delicious, Aunt Harriet. I just ate more than I should have.”

Aunt Harriet smiles and pets my head. “All right. Get some rest then. You should get ready to bed as well, Christoph. Both of you should have at least three days of resting. Then we go to London to buy you two some new clothes. In the meantime, you can wear your cousins’ clothes.”

“Yes, Aunt Harriet.”

With that, she kisses Christoph’s head and leaves the room.

Christoph suddenly punches me in the shoulder and I wince as pain shoots up my arm.

“What was that for?” I ask, rubbing my arm and frowning at him. 

“For nearly giving me a heart attack,” he says with an angry glare.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

He sighs. “It’s fine, I guess. But don’t ever do that again.”

“I won’t.”

“Good. Now, I’m going to bed. I better not hear you screaming in the middle of the night. I get pissed off when some bloke interrupts my sleep,” he says before going to his bed.

I frown a little. “Why would I scream in the middle of the night?”

“Well, if you talk in your sleep, you can also end up screaming in your sleep,” he says.

“I talk in my sleep?”

“Yes, a lot.” He kicks off his shoes and jumps into bed. “When I came back with Aunt Harriet, you were muttering things? Very strange things.”

“I never talked in my sleep before. I know, Father would have told me I talk in my sleep while he evaluated me. What kind of strange things?”

“Um, you kept calling out to your father. Then you kept saying things like _“I won’t leave you”_. Then you started saying a specific number. You kept repeating the number 9. You also mentioned other numbers.”

My face burns in embarrassment. I didn’t even know I could talk in my sleep. In fact, I never talked in my sleep, until now, according to Christoph. Maybe I’m just under a lot of stress. Running away from the home and people I grew up with is not an easy thing to do. Father pressured into leaving Germany while I wanted to stay to protect my brothers…

“Who’s Vincent?” Christoph suddenly asks.

“Hmm?”

“You’ve been mentioning that name a lot too. I assume it’s someone you’re close to. Who’s Vincent?”

“I…I don’t know. I never met or heard of a Vincent before.”

Wait, maybe I have heard of the name before. That’s why I was muttering it. I heard of the name but didn’t remember it until now.

Now, I remember. I remember was Father said before he sent me on my way.

“_Remember, when you get to England, find a man named Vincent…! He’ll help us! Find Vincent_…!”

I sigh. “I remember now. Vincent…That’s what Father sent me here for. To find a man named Vincent. He said he will help us.”

Christoph frowns in confusion. “How?”

“…I don’t know.”

Christoph only responds by shrugging before going under the covers. I do the same, hiding under the warm and soft blankets and duvet. Even with my eyes closed, I can’t sleep one bit. A lot of images and thoughts swim through my head. Father dragging me across the hall. Nine trying to hold off the guards before eventually getting shot. I don’t remember seeing if he got shot or where he got shot. All I remember were the gunshots. I looked over my shoulders to see if Nine was still behind us. But I couldn’t see him anymore.

Father and I left without him. We shouldn’t have left him. But Father made me leave. Not just for my safety. He gave me a mission. And I need to complete it somehow. I need to find Vincent. 

_Find Vincent. He’ll help us. Find Vincent. Find Vincent! FIND VINCENT!! _


	10. Dreamcast (Part 1)

**Nana Komatsu** as Mey-Rin Dai

**Bryce Gheisar** as Ciel Phantomhive

**Ben Barnes** as Sebastian Michaelis

**Danila Kovalev** as Undertaker

**Eddie Redmayne** as Grell Sutcliff

**William Moseley** as Baldroy Gibbons

**Tom Holland** as Finnian Bournemann

**Togo Igawa** as Tanaka Shino

**Jessica Chastain** as Angelina Dalles/Madam Red

**Henry Cavill** as William T. Spears

**Henry Golding** as Lau

**Lin Yun** as Ran-Mao

**Jamie Campbell Bower** as Aleistor Chamber/Viscount Druitt

**Elle Fanning** as Elizabeth Midford/Lizze

**Sidharth Malhotra** as Agni

**Senait Gidey** as Valak

**Lena Headey** as Francis Midford

**Jerome Flynn** as Klaus

**Christoph Waltz** as Diederich

**Kate Winslet **as Nina Hopkins

**Pierfrancesco Favino** as Lord Ilario

**Tom Hiddleston** as Vincent Phantomhive

**Keira Knightley** as Rachel Phantomhive


	11. Ciel Phantomhive

Loud footsteps rush down the hallway, heading for the office. Ciel looks up from his work, frowning suspiciously. It can’t be Sebastian. He wouldn’t be this careless if he knows that I’m working. 

Not to his surprise, it’s Baldroy causing that ruckus. But what surprises Ciel is why he looks so agitated. His face now pale and his chest heaving as he breathes heavily. Realizing that something serious must have occurred, Ciel puts the paperwork down. 

“What happened?” he asks with disinterest. 

“It’s Mey-Rin,” Baldroy says, “She threw up and fainted.”

Shocked by this, Ciel stands up from his chair. “What!? Show me.” 

“Sebastian took her upstairs to her room.”

Ciel follows Bard to the east wing of the house where the servants’ quarters are. 

Upon arriving at Mey-Rin's bedroom, he finds her lying in her bed, unconscious and pale as a ghost, with a damp cloth resting on her forehead. Tanaka is sitting next to her bed, holding her hand gently. 

Ciel looks at Tanaka, his eye wide in disbelief. “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be working.” 

Tanaka gives him a serious look but remains silent. 

“It’s my fault, master,” Baldroy explains, “I asked Tanaka to help since Sebastian is downstairs cleaning up.”

“Sebastian is downstairs instead of helping?” Ciel asks almost in outrage. 

“My thoughts exactly but I didn’t argue with him. I just followed orders.” 

Ciel sighs before looking at Mey once more. Something must have happened that caused her to faint. _ What happened? _

“I’ll go downstairs and talk with him. Stay and help Tanaka with Mey-Rin. And Tanaka, sorry.” 

After leaving the bedroom, Ciel quickly goes downstairs to the kitchen. The familiar scent of grease and eggs enters his nose, bringing back memories of when he and Lizzie used to run around the kitchen and stealing biscuits from a jar while the cook and the kitchen maids weren’t looking. However, Ciel returns to reality upon seeing the plated breakfasts of Mey, Baldroy and Tanaka. Balling his hands into fists, Ciel goes to the kitchen’s washroom. Sebastian is mopping vomit from the tiled floor. She vomited before fainting, just like Baldroy said. 

Ciel walks up to Sebastian. “What happened?” 

“It seems that the ingredients I used for the foie gras made her feel ill, my lord,” Sebastian says calmly. 

“Baldroy said she was choking on something before rushing to here.” 

“Indeed. The residues are still in the sink. They need to be disposed of before anyone else sees it.” 

Ciel frowns in confusion. “Residues?”

“Have a look for yourself, sir.” 

Needing to know what Sebastian is talking about, Ciel peers into the sink. His eye grows wide upon seeing the finger, and a vial of nausea creeps up his throat. 

He immediately looks at Sebastian. “Is that…?” 

“Lord Ilario? Why yes. Or whatever remains of him. You wanted me to dispose of the body properly so I did what I thought necessary.” 

“By cooking him and making the servants eat him?” 

“Well, I didn’t cook him just for the servants, my lord.” 

At that moment, Ciel feels his heart drop to his stomach and a look of horror crosses his face. Sebastian simply smiles, feigning friendliness. But Ciel is able to see right through him. 

“You didn’t…” 

“I did, my lord.” 

Ciel rushes to the toilet, and vomits. Chunks of his undigested breakfast gushes out into the toilet bowl. After coughing and gagging profusely, he glares at Sebastian over his shoulder. “You disgusting bastard!” 

“My lord, why must you insult me so cruelly?” Sebastian asks in an offended tone though Ciel can tell he’s being sarcastic. Ciel growls in anger. 

“Why did you feed us a human, Sebastian?” he snarls, “You can eat humans as much as you like us. But it’s not all right for us! What the hell were you thinking?” 

“I was only following orders, my lord.”

“Following orders!?” Ciel snaps at him, “When did I tell you to do that!?” 

“Last night. Do you not remember?” 

~

_ “Master.” _

_ “What is it now?” Ciel asked, sighing in annoyance. He was too busy working to be paying attention to anything Sebastian was saying. _

_ “I took care of Lord Ilario. How do you wish to dispose of the body? Do you wish to bury him in the gardens? Dump him in the lake? Or burn him like the last one?” _

_ Ciel sighed and pinched his nose in frustration. He wasn’t in the mood to hear his mouth right now. “I don’t care. Do what you want. Cook him and serve him for breakfast for all I care. Now, go away. I’m busy.” _

_ Sebastian bowed. “Yes, my lord.” _

~

“…I actually said that?” Ciel says, “And you listened to me!?”

“As I said, I only followed orders, my lord.” Sebastian offers him a napkin. 

Ciel takes the napkin but slaps Sebastian’s hand away. “Well, thanks to you, Mey-Rin is now sick. She almost died choking on a finger. Not only that, she probably knows that we killed Lord Ilario.”

“I highly doubt that, sir.” 

“Of course, she knows. Do you think she wouldn’t notice? It was morning and they weren’t given orders to serve the guest.” 

“I already told the servants that Lord Ilario left before dawn.” 

“Even so, there’s a bloody finger in the sink. And it’s clear that it’s Lord Ilario’s. And Mey-Rin probably knows that. She may seem stupid but she’s not a fucking moron.”

“What do you suggest we do master?” Sebastian asks. “Should I get rid of her at once? We could fire her. Of course, we could be risking her speaking to the police. Perhaps, disposing her would be easier.” 

Ciel’s face contorts in disgust. “And turn my manor into a graveyard? No. Absolutely not. We’re not killing Mey-Rin. Out of the question.” 

“What do you suggest then, sir?” 

“Something that doesn’t involve harming our staff, Sebastian,” Ciel sighs, “We need to convince her that we weren’t eating Lord Ilario. We need to make sure she doesn’t know we killed him.” 

“Hmm. That would take a bit more effort but I suppose we could try. Give me the full instructions, my lord.” 

Ciel takes the finger from the sink and tosses it into the toilet before flushing it down the drain. Swallowing hard, he tries not to vomit again. He goes to the kitchen island and opens a few drawers until he finds what he’s looking for. A carving knife. Taking out the knife, Ciel offers it to Sebastian. 

“Cut it off.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Convince her that it was your finger she was eating, not Lord Ilario’s. In order to do that, you need to show you’re missing one. So, cut it off. Now.” 

Sebastian remains silent for a moment. 

It has Ciel thinking. Is that bastard selfish enough to disobey me?

The butler then smiles. “As you wish, my lord.” 

He takes the butcher’s knife from Ciel and places his hand on the counter. 

“You might want to avert your eyes,” he says. 

But before Ciel can cover his eyes, Sebastian brings the knife down and chops his finger off. Drops of blood splatter onto Ciel’s face, much to his shock. Ciel stands there, completely frozen. His wide eye stares at the severed finger. His stomach turns and the nausea returns to his throat. 

“Are you all right, my lord?” Sebastian asks. 

“…Y-yes,” he stutters, “Excuse me.” 

Ciel goes back to the washroom to clean his face. He stands in front of the sink and turns on the faucet but remains staring at his own reflection in the mirror, the blood speckled on his cheek and chin. Not splattered like Tanaka’s blood when the killer stabbed him in front of Ciel. It felt like a bad dream and it still does. 

Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, he washes the blood from his face with warm water. A sigh of relief escapes his lips. 

He now must return his focus to the original plan. Convincing Mey-Rin that they didn’t kill Lord Ilario. Hopefully, she will fall for the trick. 


End file.
